


The Dragon's Embrace

by pterawaters



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Dragons, Homophobia, Kidnapping, M/M, Polyamory, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-05-12
Packaged: 2018-01-24 11:15:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 50,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1603151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pterawaters/pseuds/pterawaters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Finn finally gets to step out of his father's shadow and conduct negotiations with their neighbor, Draconia. When the negotiator from Draconia ends up being King Burt's son, Prince Kurt, Finn finds himself more than a little enamored with him. Unfortunately, Finn's father, King William, doesn't take well to Kurt's flirtations with Finn. Kurt can't let an insult stand, even if it's from a King, so he kidnaps Finn in the dead of night. Puck is Finn's knight, and will do anything to get his Prince back, even if it means traveling into a country full of dragons by himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dragon's Embrace

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2014 Kurt OT3 Big Bang. Art for this piece was done by [GreenGlowsGold](http://archiveofourown.org/users/greenglowsgold/pseuds/greenglowsgold)!
> 
> Beta read by [chocoholicannanymous](http://chocoholicannanymous.tumblr.com/) and [magdalyna](http://magdalyna.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Thanks to everyone who made this a reality! I really didn't intend it to get this long. Hopefully you enjoy it!

"Puck?" Finn called out, looking into all the stalls in the stable. Even though Puck had a room in the palace, he more often than not snuck out to the stables for a mid-afternoon nap. "C'mon, Puck. Commander Beiste is waiting for us. She'll put us both on kitchen duty again!"

There was no answer. Finn huffed in frustration. Where else could Puck be? If Finn could help it, he wasn't going back to training without Puck. Commander Beiste would punish Finn for being late, sure, but she'd punish Puck twice as bad if he didn't show up at all. 

When he finished checking the stables, Finn went into the hay barn a few feet away. The door stood most of the way shut, which was odd because usually it was wide open during the day. After sticking his head inside the barn, Finn drew a breath to call out for Puck. Before he could let the breath go, a loud moan interrupted him. It sounded like it came from the loft.

Another noise followed, including a soft laugh that Finn recognized as Puck's. Great. Puck had another girl wooed up to the hay loft. Even if Finn had been given the freedom of lovers that Puck enjoyed, Finn was sure he wouldn't be half as successful at it as his friend. 

Though they had been betrothed for years, Quinn was off limits to Finn until after the wedding (provided it ever actually happened). Not that Finn was completely inexperienced. Hell, a few dalliances before marriage were expected of a prince. Finn had never had to resort to screwing around in the hay loft, though.

Sighing, Finn climbed the ladder up to the loft, preparing to say something about Puck's bad timing. "Puck–" he said as he cleared the loft floor, stopping short when he saw Puck's romantic partner. It wasn't a maid Puck had his dick in this time, it was a very surprised-looking stable boy. Finn thought the boy – who was just a year or two younger than Puck, actually – was named Sam, but he couldn't quite remember.

"Oh, shit!" Finn cried, freezing as Puck and Sam both turned to look at him. Before Finn could do anything other than stare in shock, Puck turned with his back to Finn and pulled up his britches. The boy did the same, straightening his shirt as well, his eyes darting back and forth between Finn and Puck. 

Puck turned around and stuck his chin out defiantly at Finn, but he kept his mouth shut. Finn wasn't sure what, if anything, a prince was supposed to say about his best knight having relations with another man. After an awkward silence, the stable boy cleared his throat. "Your Highness? May I get back to my work?"

Without even thinking, Finn began nodding. "Y–yeah. Yeah, go ahead."

The boy scampered off, giving Puck one last look. Puck stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Finn. "Well?" he asked. "You got something to say, Your Highness?"

Finn frowned at the formal way Puck addressed him. Ever since Finn could remember, Puck had forgone the formality when they were alone together, and even some of the time they were in mixed company. Finn knew his father only tolerated Puck's ill manners because he was Finn's closest friend. 

How could Finn not know something this monumental about his best friend?

Clearing his throat, Finn asked, "How- I mean, how long?"

"With Sam?" Puck asked, his voice cool. "Since I started flirting with him twenty minutes ago."

Finn gave Puck a half-hearted glare. "No. How long have you– with _boys_!"

Lip curling up, Puck said, "Men. I– with _men_ , Finn. Guys who go after little boys are deranged."

Finn frowned. He knew his father, the king, would say men who did _things_ with other men were deranged. He'd heard the line often enough growing up. On the other hand, Finn had known Puck forever. They'd grown up together. Finn knew Puck wasn't deranged, but it worried Finn thinking maybe Puck had been lying to him this whole time. "All the women?"

" _All_ the women," Puck replied, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly and his lips curling up into a lecherous smile.

Rolling his eyes, Finn climbed back down the later. "Beiste is gonna kill us for being late."

"Nah, we're too pretty." Puck climbed down the ladder after Finn, giving him a careful look as they left the barn and headed toward the practice field. "You're not gonna say anything to anyone, are you?"

"No!" Finn scoffed. "I mean, it's a little weird. Behavior you expect from a _dragon_ , mayb–"

"I'm no fucking dragon!" Puck punched Finn in the arm, but it barely hurt, so Finn knew Puck wasn't as upset by the comparison as he might have been. Puck sure did seem to hate dragons, despite never really mentioning them before. 

Finn had never really gotten to talk to one. Whenever the dragons paid a visit, the king and his advisors spoke to them, not the prince. Finn swallowed nervously. That was all going to change soon. Now that he was an adult, King William expected Finn to take on more responsibility. Apparently training with the rest of the Commander's Guard wasn't responsibility enough for a Prince.

"Well, I'll be the raw hide of a monkey's mother," Commander Beiste cried when she spotted them. "If it isn't the prince and his favorite lap dog." Finn saw Puck bristle under the comment, even though he was sure to know the Commander meant it lovingly. "Give me twenty laps, you two. Swords are for bastards who show up on time!"

Finn had to admit that the image of Puck and Sam together stayed with him the whole day. He just couldn’t forget about it. How did he not know about Puck’s _proclivities_? Finn knew _everything_ about Puck. 

They’d practically grown up together after Puck’s father disappeared and his mother had to start working in the castle to support the family. Since Puck first caught Finn in the act of stealing cakes from the pantry and then helped him get away with it, they’d been fast friends. Finn’s caretakers hadn’t minded him playing with a commoner, since the King didn’t mind either.

Puck – the same man Finn had enviously watched seduce girl after girl – went after like-minded boys as well? Finn didn’t even know there were boys like Sam anywhere in the _kingdom_ , much less in the castle. That was the sort of thing that happened in Draconia, _not_ in Lima.

As they left training and walked back to the castle, Puck cleared his throat. Then he did it again.

Finn recognized the plea for attention. “What?”

“You’re not gonna _tell_ anyone, are you? Like, you really won’t?” Puck didn’t meet Finn’s eyes, instead chewing on the edge of his thumb.

Giving his friend an incredulous look, Finn asked, “What do you think?”

“No?”

“No, of course not.” Finn clapped Puck on the shoulder reassuringly. “You’re my best friend, Puck. My brother.” Puck winced, as he sometimes did when Finn called him a brother. Other times, Puck grinned, or said it himself. Finn never could quite predict which reaction Puck would give. “You can trust me. I won’t tell a soul.”

Letting out a loud breath, Puck nodded sharply. He finally met Finn’s eye with a half-smile. “Thanks. You know if the Commander found out, she’d have me off the Guard in no time, flat.”

“Would she?” Finn leaned sideways so his shoulder would bump into Puck’s – well, Finn’s arm would bump Puck’s shoulder. Puck stood a substantial bit shorter than Finn. Then again, almost everyone Finn had ever met stood shorter than him. “I think Commander couldn’t give a rat’s ass about who you sleep with, as long as you can swing a sword. My father, on the other hand…”

“Mm,” Puck hummed in agreement.

Finn had more questions for Puck, like how having sex with a guy was possible in the first place. Did it feel as nice as it looked like it might? How did Puck even know who to ask for something like that? Was there some sort of sign? Finn would have asked these questions if not for the ashen look to Puck’s skin, which Finn knew had nothing to do with how hard Commander had worked them that afternoon. Questions could wait.

Finn just felt like he might go a little crazy waiting for those answers.

And, besides, one of the pages, Jacob, came running up to them, bowing ask he asked breathlessly, “Prince Finn?”

“Yes, Jacob?” Finn asked, laughing a little as he steadied Jacob on his feet. “Did you run all the way from the castle?”

Jacob nodded. “His Majesty the King, wants to see you right away, Your Highness. The messenger from Draconia arrived.”

“Oh, sh–” Finn said, barely stopping himself from swearing in front of a staff member. “I mean, thank you, Jacob.” Turning to Puck, Finn asked, “You okay if I hurry on ahead?”

“Yeah, go,” Puck said, ignoring the righteous glare Jacob gave him. Finn knew that he held Puck to a different standard of etiquette than he did any of the other non-nobles who lived in the castle, and that some of the others resented him for it, but Finn didn’t care. He needed a friend like Puck, who didn’t have to be polite and deferential with Finn, who told Finn what he really thought.

Who apparently lied to Finn about some things, despite Finn’s blanket permission to speak as he liked.

Finn gave Puck one more encouraging pat on the shoulder and then hurried ahead on the pathway that led up to the keep walls. His muscles were sore from Commander’s training session, but Finn managed to make his way up to the castle at a good speed despite the pain.

Finn debated changing his clothes and washing up a little before entering the King’s presence, but his father had been waiting on word from Draconia for weeks, and had made it clear to Finn that as his heir, Finn was to be intimately involved in this year’s round of negotiations.

“It’s important for you to learn how to govern the country,” the King said, a loving hand on the back of Finn’s neck. “I won’t be here forever, you know.”

“I know,” Finn replied, but he didn’t really feel the _urgency_ he probably should have. King William was young, only fifteen years older than Finn himself. He'd been married young when his father, Finn's grandfather, got so drunk he stabbed himself with his own sword, got blood poisoning, and died. Young king William needed an heir, so he married Finn's mother. 

When Finn reached his father's study, he paused just outside the door, gathering his courage. He found himself tapping out a nervous rhythm on his leg and quickly stilled the motion. While King William loved music, and had seen Finn trained in the art, he did not appreciate Finn's nervous habit of drumming on every available surface.

Only when he felt calm and collected did Finn open the door. The King stood behind his study desk, speaking to several of his advisors, a crystal glass of brandy in his hand. Finn's arrival made him look up, hold out his arm toward Finn, and say, "Oh, good! You're here. We've gotten word from the Dragon King."

"And?" Finn asked. He'd seen the Dragon King from afar before, ten years previously when the Dragon King and his son, Prince Kurt, paid a visit. When King William paid a similar visit to the Dragon King five years later, Finn wasn't allowed to go, even though the Dragon King seemed like a fair man. A voice in the back of Finn's head reminded him that although the King of Draconia was able to _look_ like a man, he was not one.

"And the King will not deign us with his presence. He's sending the Prince, instead."

"Oh." The most Finn remembered about him was that Finn was not allowed to play with, or even talk to Prince Kurt during his visit to Lima, even though they were similar ages. If the Dragon King was sending his son to conduct the negotiations... "Maybe we should reply in kind. I'll negotiate with the Prince."

"What?" King William asked, his eyes wide and his complexion paler than normal. "Finn, you can't be serious."

Frustration clutching his throat tight, Finn replied, "Why not? You said you wanted me to be more involved this year. I know what the stakes are. I know what we can afford to give. I'm not as useless as you want to believe."

King William gave Finn a long look, and he seemed to be turning over the suggestion in his head, actually thinking about it now rather than just reacting on instinct. Pursing his lips and pressing one hand to them, King William sighed. When his hand dropped, Finn knew he was going to get his answer. "You're right, Finn. I am training you to be a leader. It's time you took on some responsibility."

Finn opened his mouth to thank his father, but the king continued speaking without letting Finn get one word in.

"But you report to me, Finn. You let me know what decisions you make, what arguments that god damned dragon brings to the table. You're the frontman, the mouthpiece here, Finn. Not the power." King William clapped Finn on the shoulder before squeezing tightly. "Understand?"

Holding steady under the onslaught, his chin defiantly high, Finn replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

King William smirked and let go of Finn's shoulder, drawing him into an embrace. "That's my son. I'm proud of you, Finn, taking the initiative like this. You'll make a good king someday."

Smiling back at his father now that it seemed okay, Finn joked, "Just not today, huh?"

"Just not today. In fact," William grinned at Finn. "I'd say it's important that you get married and sire an heir before you take the throne. How goes Lord Fabray's efforts to raise the required dowry?"

"Fine," Finn replied. He didn't like to be reminded of his betrothal to Lady Quinn Fabray, but he didn't let that dislike show on his face. Finn wasn't sure what it was about Quinn that he didn't like, but he knew it was something. She was strong-willed, kind, and beautiful. She'd make a perfect Queen, and yet Finn didn't feel anything like love for her. 

But when one was a Prince, love rarely factored into marriage plans, despite what some of Finn's childhood storybooks said.

"And you're," William leaned closer to Finn and lowered his voice, " _sowing your oats_ , aren't you, son? You never know when a bastard will come in handy."

" _Yes_ ," Finn replied, turning away before he rolled his eyes. He'd been spending time with a few of the lower-class women who lived in the castle. The first was Rachel, but as much as Finn enjoyed her company, she often said things that struck Finn as far too ambitious for his liking. His only other romantic prospect was a younger girl, Marley, but her affections soon turned toward suitors of her own station, and she stopped returning Finn's advances before they became intimates.

Finn wondered what his father would think if he were to sow his oats the way Puck was his – with other men. Not that Finn wanted to, but maybe it would be easier to find willing partners. Beside the two Finn had already courted, most of the girls who lived in the castle were either uninteresting to him, or unwilling to be with a man outside of marriage, Lady Quinn Fabray included. If Finn were to pursue someone like Sam, and he got caught? Finn knew King William’s attitude about the dragons’ deviant behaviors. It would kill William if his son were to emulate them. King William gave Finn his proudest smile. "Good. A man, especially a royal man, should have the freedom to gain some practical knowledge before marriage. I didn't get that luxury, as you know." Finn nodded, but otherwise didn't respond. He knew just how much King William resented being forced into the marriage that produced Finn in the first place. King William then looked Finn up and down, frowning. "Now, get cleaned up. Your mother's expecting us for dinner."

Finn hid the urge to cringe as he took the opportunity to be dismissed. King William's wife was _not_ Finn's mother. Finn's mother ran off with some mystery knight when Finn was sixteen. The King's current wife, Queen Emma, was even younger than William. Finn wasn't sure, but she might have been less than ten years older than Finn himself. Calling her his mother felt insane.

~*~

Puck felt jittery, restless. He was nervous about what Finn knew, and it wasn't like Puck thought Finn would use the information against him on purpose. Finn just had a history of letting secrets slip at the wrong exact moment. Finn told Lauren Zizes that Puck was also seeing Santana Lopez, even though Puck had sworn him to secrecy. Finn had apologized and held cold compresses against Puck’s swollen-shut eye, but that didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t be trusted with secrets. 

And, oh boy, did Puck have a few whoppers in his past. Appreciating the male form was only one of them. Various misdeeds and ambiguously cruel treatment of his fellow man, Puck had one secret that paled in comparison to the rest of them. This secret was so big and held secret for so long, that Puck never let himself think about it, or about anything even vaguely related to it. 

And yet, having Finn walk in on Puck and Sam doing – well, doing what they did – made Puck feel like all those barriers he put in place for good reason were about to crumble. It made Puck jumpy, which made him angry in turn. Puck prided himself on being solid, steady. He was the man keeping the Prince sane through the sheer power of his unparalleled friendship. 

Puck let himself into the Prince’s chambers with barely a nod at the guard posted at Finn’s door. His name was Matt, and he was one of the guards Puck knew best. He was also one of the guards who never seemed to question Puck’s presence in Finn’s life. Sure Puck didn’t have noble birthright, but he was the Prince’s friend, and one of the best soldiers in the guard. Some of the others resented the privileges these statuses gave Puck. Matt wasn’t one of them. 

Inside the room, Finn’s groom, Mike, held up Finn’s jacket so the Prince could slip his arms into it. Of course, in true Finn fashion, the Prince still wasn’t wearing trousers. Sure, he had his underthings on and his stockings – for which Puck thanked the stars – but Finn’s tendency to get dressed from the top down was an oft repeated tidbit in the servants’ wing of the castle. Few properly trained grooms put up with him. 

Mike, on the other hand, simply handed Finn his tie. When Finn turned toward the mirror to tie his tie, he spotted Puck’s reflection. “Puck, hey!” he said, that silly, slightly lopsided grin spreading across his face. That smile never failed to inspire one on Puck’s face as well, even as it made Puck’s heart ache. Finn turned, tie still undone, and held out his arms. “What do you think? Will the Dragon Prince be impressed?”

“He’ll want to eat you up,” Puck replied easily, eyes flicking down to Finn’s bare legs and feet. “He’ll start at the bottom, most like. Less clothing to get caught in his teeth.”

Finn laughed, reaching out to smack Puck’s arm, another friendly grin on his lips. Friendly. Puck took Finn’s trousers from Mike and passed them to the prince. Finn accepted them, sticking first one foot and then the other through the legs, his balance perfect. Puck imagined Finn wobbling, just once, so that Puck could reach out and steady him. It never happened. 

“Don’t you know, Sir Puck,” Finn said, fastening the ties at his crotch. Puck averted his eyes. “You’re supposed to lay down your life so the Dragon Prince _doesn’t_ eat me.”

“Oh, am I?” Puck laughed, fairly certain it didn’t sound as forced as it felt. He stepped closer to Finn as the prince finished his lacings. Grabbing either end of Finn’s tie, Puck began to tie it. He ignored the way Finn’s breath ghosted over his face. “Maybe if we make you look pretty enough, the Prince will be startled by your beauty and spare you. Then neither one of us will have to be eaten.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

When Puck looked up, he could have sworn that Finn’s eyes were tracing over Puck’s mouth, rather than meeting his eyes, or looking past Puck’s ear. Did Puck have something stuck in his teeth?

Stepping back, Puck ran his tongue over his teeth and sucked at them, trying to pull out whatever morsel of food Finn had to have been looking at. Turning, Puck saw that Mike had slipped away when he wasn’t looking. Cursing to himself, Puck wondered what Mike had seen between them, if he thought they wanted to be alone. The urge to run after Mike and correct whatever assumptions he’d made surged through Puck, but he fought the urge off.

This was probably the biggest day of Finn’s life. Finn needed Puck now, needed Puck to be that grounding presence, the rock that he leaned against. Finn didn’t need Puck to overthink _anything_. 

While he wasn't overthinking or second-guessing, Puck pulled a small package out of his pocket and handed it to Finn. "For luck."

Raising one eyebrow at Puck, Finn took the package and pulled at the yarn holding the scrap cloth around it. The package fell open to reveal a copper brooch, a smooth oval in the center with carefully crafted ridges fanning outward. 

"Puck, you shouldn't have!" Finn cried, pulling Puck in for a hug. "Where did you get this?"

Shrugging, Puck replied, "It was an extra bit of copper from the armory. I worked it into that shape. Polished it. It's not _gold_ or anything, but I thought for luck?"

Finn gave another of the smiles that Puck would die to see, but which also made Puck's heart _hurt_. "I'm gonna need the luck, today especially." Finn looked down at the brooch again and held it out toward Puck. "Help me get it just right?"

Puck took the brooch and stepped back for a moment, looking Finn's outfit up and down. The shoulders of Finn's jacket held golden tassels, and he wore a wide sash embroidered with Lima's colors over his right shoulder. Puck had to place the brooch just right, or the prince from Draconia might think Finn an easy-to-trick moron, when Finn was anything but. "Maybe we should leave it off. I'm not sure it goes with everything else."

"Don't be stupid." Finn pointed to his left lapel. "Put it right here. There's plenty of room."

Swallowing against his dry throat, Puck stepped closer with a nod. The brooch had a thick pin at the back, which Puck had repurposed from the guard-issued clasp that was meant to hold his cloak. Puck would have to requisition a new one before winter, but he doubted anyone would question him. He was the prince's favorite friend, after all.

As Puck took the fabric of Finn's jacket in his hand and lifted the lapel, he noticed how warm it felt. Finn always ran hot (Puck liked to tease him that maybe he had dragon blood in his lineage). It failed to escape Puck how close his fingers were to Finn's heart. Steadying the way his hands wanted to tremble, Puck fastened the brooch's pin through Finn's lapel. He straightened out the fabric and looked up at Finn.

Finn's smile looked as fond and as _friendly_ as ever. Puck stepped back.

"There. Now you look like the kind of guy a dragon prince would listen to."

Widening into a grin, Finn's smile beamed at Puck for just a few seconds before faltering when someone knocked at the door. "Come in!"

Matt stuck his head into the room. "Your Highness, it's time to go. His Majesty the King would like you in the throne room early."

"Well, then let's not disappoint him," Finn said, rolling his eyes a little and giving Puck another smile that felt more intimate than Puck was used to. It was probably just his imagination again, wasn't it?

Finn slipped into his boots on the way out the door, leaving Puck alone in Finn's chambers. Puck could have gone with Finn, maybe, but he didn't want to be turned out at the door by King William's guard. It was no secret that the king only tolerated Puck because Finn asked him to. On a day as important as this not even Finn would second-guess William's decision to have only the best, most experienced members of the guard on hand to stand between Prince Finn and an actual _dragon_.

Since he wasn't needed to greet the Dragon Prince, Puck climbed up the tallest tower of the castle. The lookout sat at the top of the tower, peering out over the kingdom, but no one would notice Puck standing on the staircase below, looking out one of the keyhole windows. 

Puck came up here fairly frequently. Finn didn't know about this habit. Whenever he asked where Puck had been, Puck would smirk and raise an eyebrow at Finn, letting him believe whatever he wanted about Puck's whereabouts. Finn probably thought Puck had more conquests than he actually did, but up until the previous morning, that assumption worked in Puck's favor.

Now, though, Finn would assume Puck was off messing around with Sam or whoever, when really he just needed a few moments to himself, to put back the mask he needed to wear around Finn. Around everyone, really. If anyone caught him looking at Finn the way Puck felt like he might just start looking at Finn, Puck knew that King William would get rid of him, no matter how much Finn liked having Puck around.

Looking out over the eastern skyline, where the clouds had just started to turn colored by the sunset, Puck noticed a dark fleck against them. As the fleck moved closer, it began to take on more of a distinct shape – a long body with long, black wings. It might have been a raven, or some other sort of bird, but Puck knew better. There wasn't another bird in the sky.

Everything ran from the dragons, man and bird alike.

Puck couldn't understand how the people of Draconia could _stand_ to live with dragons as their rulers. Cruel, heartless, immoral _creatures_ with fangs and claws, each of whom could disguise themselves as an ordinary person. Sometimes Puck wondered if he wasn't a dragon, hiding himself in plain sight, pretending to be an actual person, who could act properly and not like the deviant he truly was.

As the Dragon Prince approached, his form became clearer. He was a sleek dragon, with a long sinuous neck, a large head, a tapering tail, and enormous wings. His scales were dark, almost black, but Puck had heard that if you were to see a dragon's scale up close, it would shine with iridescent color. Puck had always wondered if this was the same sort of untrue rumor as the one that said dragons could breathe out fire, but he wasn't about to ask anyone.

If anyone thought Puck was interested in dragons, they'd be sorely mistaken. Puck wanted nothing to do with them. What if a dragon recognized Puck as one of its own? Better to stay as far away as possible, rather than to risk it.

Flapping its wings back so forcefully that Puck could see the flags flying over the keep walls bluster about in their wake, the dragon landed just outside the keep walls, probably in the village square. The last time Puck had seen a dragon land in the village square, his father had still been around. The bastard had looked down at Puck and said, "Son, would you look at that creature? No rhyme or reason but his own desires. You gotta admire a man who acts like a dragon."

This had been a few months before he ran out on Puck's mother, leaving them penniless. Puck refused to hold too much of a grudge against his father. His leaving had led to Puck's mother taking a job in the castle and Puck subsequently befriending the most powerful child in the kingdom. 

It was Puck's own damn fault for falling in love with the guy.

~*~

Kurt took one last, deep breath of cool air before tilting his wings, spilling out the air so he would fall. The change in altitude pushed Kurt's stomach up toward his spine, the swooping feeling making his heart race a little faster. In this form, the sound of the blood pumping past his ears thundered beside the sound of wind rushing past his head.

Flaring his nostrils, Kurt scented the air. Mostly it smelled of the blooms in the orchards below, but also of people. Thousands of people. While singular people often smelled appealing to Kurt (especially those who he brought into his bed), on a whole, they stunk. He had no idea how they managed to live in large villages like this, much less like the cities that lay along the shore to the south. 

Always drawn to water, these people. Kurt indulged himself occasionally in food from the sea, mostly fish. He found the majority of it helplessly small and unfulfilling. Santana liked to tell the story of how she caught and ate a sea lion, but Kurt was almost sure she'd fabricated the whole story.

Dipping lower through the air, Kurt approached the village square. It amused him how the Lima people gasped and ran for cover when they saw him. One or two even screamed. The next time Kurt landed in one of his human towns, he might ask the people to pretend to be frightened and run away. It might even be a fun game for the children.

All of Kurt's people knew he'd never hurt a fly, or at least one who didn't _deserve_ it. Unlike some of his peers, Kurt thought it was important to be kind to your subjects, in order to gain their love and respect. Santana liked to rule through fear. No wonder Father sent Kurt to negotiate with the humans. Santana would probably imagine someone looking at her wrong and then start eating people.

Kurt shuddered at the thought. He would _never_ willingly eat a human being. 

That's not to say he would never willingly _maim_ a human being, especially in defense of his body or his territory. Kurt's people looked to him for leadership and protection, and as his father's son, Kurt took that responsibility seriously.

Responsibility didn't mean one had to avoid a little fun.

Kurt let his body shrink, his wingspan contracting, as he entered the square. He thought hard about the outfit he'd chosen to wear that morning, focusing on each individual piece so they would all appear as he shifted into human shape. Kurt's boots touched the ground lightly, Kurt back-winging a bit just before pulling his wings in. They melted into the skin on his back as Kurt made the rest of his shirt and jacket appear to cover them.

There. Now Kurt made the impeccable image of a human prince, here to visit his neighboring country for trade negotiations. Kurt figured if he were human, he'd probably have brought a coterie of bodyguards to help keep him alive in foreign lands. As a dragon, Kurt had no need for bodyguards. 

Acclimated to his human-shaped legs, Kurt strode through the square toward the castle. He waved at a group of Lima citizens, and one of them shrieked and bolted away. Kurt kept himself from laughing, but only just barely. It crossed his mind that Santana would enjoy herself here, among humans who weren't used to dragons. Of course, Father had appointed Kurt for this task, and not his sister. And for good reason, too. 

Kurt approached the keep gates, his head held high as he walked past what commoners remained after his dramatic appearance. The gates opened as he reached them, leading into the courtyard Kurt remembered vaguely from his last visit. At the other end of the courtyard, at the doors to the castle itself, stood several figures, two of them wearing crowns.

The shorter one Kurt remembered as being the young King William, no less handsome now than he had been 10 years ago when Kurt had been much smaller. The taller of the two was also younger than King William. He must be the Prince. Kurt remembered trying in earnest to catch a glimpse of the Prince last time, but he’d only ever seen the boy from afar. He definitely hadn’t been allowed to play with him.

Lord’s scales, but Kurt would love to play with the prince now. For a human, he was quite handsome, and he gave Kurt this guileless, though guarded smile as Kurt approached. 

The herald’s voice filled the courtyard as Kurt stopped at the steps leading to the castle doors. “The Great and Fearsome High Prince of Draconia, Kurt, son of Burt.”

Kurt bowed as the herald finished, sweeping low to the ground and letting the shimmer of his scales shine through the false patina of human-like skin he wore instead. One of the ladies standing next to the staircase gasped, which made Kurt grin. “Your Majesty,” Kurt said, his voice formal. “Your Highness and Your Eminences. I bring greetings from the High King of Draconia, Burt the Second, son of Burt the First. He regrets that he could not bring these greetings in person and hopes that these gifts,” Kurt swept his hand back toward the gates and the perfectly-timed arrival of his Draconian caravan, “will adequately appease Your Majesty.”

“Welcome to Lima, Prince Kurt,” King William said, his smile wide and warm as he descended the staircase. “We accept your generous gift, and hope you will appreciate our gifts in exchange, presently.”

“Of course,” Kurt replied, taking William’s hand and shaking it. Kurt didn't put nearly his full strength into the handshake, but he put enough that King William would have to admit Kurt wasn't nearly as frail as he looked in this form.

"This," William said, gesturing back, "is my son, Prince Finn. You'll be dealing with him for the majority of these negotiations."

This revelation surprised Kurt, but he was careful to keep the expression from his face. Instead, he smiled at Finn and offered his hand. "Why, how lovely. I'm sure I'll have no trouble getting along with Your Highness." Then, Kurt winked, satisfied when the prince's cheeks went red.

"I'm sure, you're right, Prince Kurt," Finn said, squeezing Kurt's hand, but not as strongly as his father had. Of course, Kurt didn't respond with anything more than a little friendly pressure either. Smiling, Finn continued. "We're pleased to have you here, though we _were_ sad to hear your father wouldn't be joining us. He's an impressive man. Dragon." Finn winced, but he didn't stop talking. "Dragon-man. Male dra–"

" _Yes_ ," Kurt said, cutting off Finn's increasingly embarrassing ramble. "Yes, he is." Nodding to the castle behind Finn, Kurt added, "Will you allow me into your castle, Your Highness? Or shall I stand out here, admiring your handsomeness until the sun sets?"

Grinning and his blush renewing, Finn swept both hands toward the doors. They opened and Finn said, "Please, come in, Your Highness. My father and I welcome you into our home."

Kurt took the invitation as it was offered, passing Finn and the rest of the contingent of nobles gathered near the door. King William fell into step beside Kurt. William held a smile until he must have thought Kurt wasn't watching, because that smile fell without warning. For a brief second, Will's lip curled upward in a sneer. Before Kurt could look for a clue to this change in attitude, they crossed over the threshold and into the darker castle. 

It always amazed Kurt how little time it took humans to adjust to a darker light level. Kurt could barely see anything, having left the bright sunlight for the cave-like shade of the castle. Having spent many hours in the last few weeks practicing moving from light to dark and back again in his human form, Kurt didn't expect himself to stumble, yet he did. Strong hands caught him before he fell further than a few inches from his desired path, and Kurt recognized the scent of the skin as Finns. "Thank you, your highness," Kurt murmured as he regained his footing, his eyes starting to adjust.

Luckily, the Kings of Lima enjoyed light in their dwellings, so once Kurt moved past the main foyer of the castle and into a grand hallway, there were large windows high up on the walls, near the ceiling. Of course, given a half hour, Kurt's eyes would adjust to be able to see in near pitch darkness, and if he was in his true form, it would take even less time. 

A far as Kurt was aware, none of the Lima humans realized this failing of his kind, and Kurt was _not_ going to be the one to give it away. "My goodness. I've journeyed far today. I do hope we'll be seeing refreshments soon."

"Oh, of course, Your Highness," Finn replied with a grin, taking a few steps faster to get ahead of Kurt. Finn didn't wait for his liverymen to open the door at the end of the hallway, pushing it open himself to reveal a large banquet room. Long tables sat burdened with all manner of foods, their smells wafting into the hallway where Kurt stood. He licked his lips in anticipation.

"Yes, this lovely feast will do for now," Kurt said, striding forward to join Finn. He noticed King William trailing behind them, speaking to one of his servants. In this form, over the noise of all the other courtiers following behind them, Kurt couldn't hear what was being said, which irked him. Putting aside that frustration, Kurt asked Finn, "You _do_ know I'll need a different sort of feast later on, don't you, my dear Prince Finn?"

Finn stopped short for half a moment before continuing, leading the way to the head banquet table. "O-of course. We've brought in the finest sheep from the countryside. They're grazing in the horse pasture just outside the castle walls."

"Perfect," Kurt sighed, his stomach rumbling at the thought of a nice, fat sheep to sate his hunger. "I must admit, I'm very pleased with your hospitality. I feel this bodes well for our negotiations."

Finn grinned, dimples appearing in his cheeks. "I'm glad you think so."

Hmm. Perhaps after sating his hunger for meat, Kurt might be able to sate his hunger for male companionship. Knowing Lima's rather strict and regressive traditions, Kurt had chosen to go without a consort for the duration of his stay. That being said, Kurt would rather not go without if he didn't have to. Then again, seducing the King's son might not go over very well. Kurt would have to keep an eye on the situation and wing it. Luckily, Kurt knew how to fly.

~*~

Finn sat next to Prince Kurt at dinner, watching the dragon politely, but ravenously, devour his food. He caught himself more than once staring, waiting for Prince Kurt's skin to shimmer like it had when he first arrived at the castle. Watching Kurt, it struck Finn how human-like Prince Kurt looked. If Finn hadn't known differently, he would never have guessed Kurt was a dragon.

Sure, Prince Kurt had ethereal good looks, and his ears were a little too pointed, but had Finn _not_ seen that shimmer, he would never have believed Kurt to be a dragon. Finn waited for a moment when his father was enthralled with speaking to Captain Tanaka and Lord Bamboo, before asking of Kurt, "Please, Your Highness, I don't mean to be rude, but may I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Kurt replied, smiling as he bit into one of the first strawberries of the summer. "What sort of rude question is on your mind, Prince Finn?"

Feeling his face go hot, but still somehow enraptured by Kurt's easy grin, Finn asked, "Do you choose this human face you wear? Could you change it?"

"Why?" Kurt's mouth straightened into a tight line and he raised one perfect eyebrow. "Is there something you find unsatisfactory in my appearance?"

"No!" Finn cried, chagrined and lowering his voice. This was not the sort of question a delegate and a King's son should ask. Finn felt just so god damned curious about the thing that he couldn't bring himself to laugh off the question. "I mean to say, you're _very handsome_. If you picked out that face, kudos to you."

Kurt's other eyebrow joined the first high up on his forehead. Then, Kurt laughed. He turned, resting his forehead on Finn's shoulder as he chuckled. Leaning back again, he said, "Actually, the kudos go to my parents. We dragons don't choose our human faces anymore than you choose yours."

Finn made a noise of acknowledgment. "So do you get to choose what you look like as a dragon?" Shit. Finn was probably asking too many inane questions. "Sorry. It's just when I learned about dragons from my tutors, they never could answer all my questions."

"It's fine," Kurt replied, waving Finn's concern away. "And I don't choose my appearance in my dragon form, either, except for size."

Finn frowned. "You can choose what size to be?"

"Within limits." Kurt took another bite of his vegetables. "I mean, how else do you imagine we fit in caves to mine them?"

Again, Finn spoke without filtering his words. "I always imagined you just pushed the mountains over until you got what you wanted."

Kurt laughed more loudly this time, covering his mouth with one hand. "Prince Finn, excuse me. I don't mean to find your ignorance so charming."

Finn wondered if he should feel insulted. He didn't feel insulted. "Well, if you'll forgive me my ignorance," Finn said, a smile dancing across his lips. "Then I'm sure we'd find ourselves on even footing."

"Perhaps." Kurt smirked. "I _could_ make myself taller. Make it so we see eye-to-eye."

Finn grabbed a piece of meat from his plate and popped it into his mouth. "So, why don't you?"

Kurt bobbed his head back and forth like he was debating whether or not to answer. He settled on saying, "I think I'm intimidating enough as it is. Perhaps if I stay this size, you might underestimate me."

"I could never do that." Finn's face grew hot when he realized how breathy his voice sounded on that last sentence. Clearing his throat, he added, "I'm a prince, Your Highness. I've been trained never to underestimate anyone."

Before Kurt could answer, on Finn's other side, the King cleared his throat loudly and stood. "A final toast!" William cried out, raising his goblet. "To Prince Kurt of Draconia and a productive cycle of trade negotiations between our countries, full of cooperation and _friendship_."

Finn didn't like the way his father looked at him when he stressed the word "friendship", but he raised his glass with everyone else. "To Prince Kurt!"

After the meal, Kurt left the banquet with the few attendants he'd brought, and Finn wanted to follow, to make sure Kurt found his quarters without hassle. Instead, Puck waylaid him just outside the banquet hall. "Nice feast?"

"Yeah," Finn replied, his eyes following Kurt's party as they turned toward the hall that led to the staircase. "Did you eat? I didn't see you in there."

Puck waved off his concern. "Nah. You needed to make a good impression today, not be seen paling around with some no-name knight."

Frowning, Finn clapped his hand onto Puck's shoulder and pulled him close so he could hear Finn whisper. "You aren't some no-name, Puck. You're my best friend. Is this about … Is it about earlier? I promised I wouldn't tell."

"I don't' know. You seemed to be getting along with the dragon. He your new best friend? Sure you won't tell him?"

" _Puck_." Finn sighed. "Don't get all weird and jealous on me. Prince Kurt is a visitor. He'll only be staying a few weeks."

"Yeah, alright." Puck nodded a few times and started to pull away before leaning back. He straightened Finn's brooch and murmured, "Whatever you do, _Your Highness_ , don't forget you're in a room with someone who only _looks_ human. He's a giant, fire-breathing lizard in disguise. He isn't capable of friendship."

"The fire-breathing is a myth," Finn insisted off hand, his brain troubled by Puck's warning. There was nothing about Finn's interactions with Kurt so far that sent up any warning flags, save the sheer amount of food that Kurt managed to package into his tiny little frame. Finn supposed anyone watching could've suspected Kurt for a dragon given his eating habits alone.

No, Finn wasn't worried about Kurt. He should make a great friend, and a powerful ally for Lima. "I'm only doing my duty," Finn insisted to Puck, letting go of his shoulder. "I'm setting the stage for quick and peaceful negotiations. It's nothing more."

"Keep telling yourself that, Finn."

Finn rolled his eyes. "D'you wanna spend the night on the cot in my room?" The cot wasn't so much a cot as it was a bed slightly smaller than Finn's own, meant for his future bride. Finn let Puck sleep there sometimes, because he knew Puck got bored and lonely sometimes sleeping in his own quarters.

Puck shook his head. "Nah. I got a girl I'm gonna see."

Scoffing in disbelief, Finn stepped away from Puck. "Sure you do. See you early for morning exercises?"

"Yeah." Puck sighed, turning toward the banquet room, probably to make himself a plate with the leftovers.

Finn called after him. "Don't be late tomorrow! Commander will throw a fit. I'll end up having to run all your laps for you!"

Over his shoulder, Puck made a rude gesture, but Finn saw the tiniest smirk on the edge of his lips as his head turned back toward Finn. Okay. Puck wasn't really mad. He was just scared and worried. Finn was sure Puck would get over it, sooner or later.

~*~

As Puck left the banquet room with a plate, the King called after him. "Sir Puckerman? A moment of your time?"

Puck wanted to tell the King he could go fuck himself, but Puck knew better than to speak to the king with such insolence. Mouthing off to Finn was one thing, mouthing off to Commander Beiste another. Mouthing off to King William could lose Puck his head, and he was fairly well attached to his head, all things considered. So, Puck turned and approached the king, bowing when he got close enough. "Your Majesty?"

"Puckerman," King William said, moving closer and putting his arm around Puck's shoulders. For a moment, Puck believed that William found out about Puck's _activities_ , and that he was about to be ordered out of Finn's life. Whatever else happened to Puck, being separated from Finn would probably be the one that killed him. "Have you seen the way Prince Kurt interacts with my son?"

"Uh, yes, Your Majesty," Puck replies. "I caught a glimpse."

Will nodded, his frown grave. "Then you'll have noticed that Prince Kurt is trying to seduce my son into wickedness. Just like the filthy dragon he is."

Puck's chest went cold at William's murderous expression. Something told Puck that the expression had less to do with Prince Kurt's species, and everything to do with Kurt being male, and flirting with Finn. Gods above, if William could read Puck's thoughts, just about any moment of the day, he'd be bombarded with thoughts that would make him sick. The fact that most of those thoughts might have something to do with Finn would just make things so much worse.

"What would you have me do, My Lord?" Puck asked, keeping his face as straight as he could manage.

"Just–" William snorted, putting a hand up to the back of his neck and scratching at the base of his curly hair. "Keep an eye on Finn when that dragon is around. Let me know if anything _untoward_ happens."

"Yes, sir," Puck replied, forcing himself to smile when the king patted him on the back.

"There's a good man. I'm sure the two of us, working together, can keep Finn on the righteous path." Without waiting for Puck's response, William clapped Puck on the back again and walked off, toward his new Queen, who waited for him at the doors leading to their wing of the castle. 

Puck stood, staring at King William's back until long after he rounded the corner out of sight. The way the king spoke about Kurt made Puck's skin feel too tight and his breath come ragged and uneasy. Did the King not realize that it wasn't just dragons who had wider appetites than most? Or was Puck deluding himself on how normal he actually was?

Puck couldn't really remember his father. Maybe the bastard had been a dragon in disguise.

No. Fuck, no. Puck wasn't anything like that twisted liar of a snake. He liked what he liked, but he wasn't a _dragon_. There was more to being a dragon than liking the male form every now and then. There _had_ to be.

Taking one last, deep breath, Puck let it out slowly as he moved across the banquet room and out toward the hallway that lead to the courtyard. How was Puck supposed to keep Finn and Kurt apart? They needed to be in the same room extensively, if these negotiations were ever going to finish. 

Puck _could_ talk to Finn about Kurt, and maybe that would work. If anyone was going to get Finn to listen, it would be Puck. Though, why Finn would want to listen when he'd caught Puck with his pants around his ankles earlier that day? Puck didn't have a moral leg to stand on.

Shit.

Puck escaped out into the courtyard, mostly for a breath of fresh air. He needed to clear his head so he could get some sleep, and then spend the entire next day at Finn's shoulder, chaperoning his interactions with that dragon. 

A shuffling at the edge of the courtyard made Puck raise his head and grip the pommel of his sword in case of danger. The castle was supposedly secure, but Puck had caught the guards at the gate asleep on more than one occasion. "Who's there."

Pale hands up, palms toward Puck, a figure stepped out of the shadows and into the torchlight. Prince Kurt. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm _not_ ," Puck insisted, though he couldn't bring himself to pull his hand away from his sword.

Kurt smiled, his cheeks bright compared to the hollows of his eyes and the glint of silver there. "Well, aren't you a brave soldier? What is your name?"

Puck wanted to withhold his name, but if Kurt reported him to the King, Puck would be in serious trouble. He was already cutting it close dallying as he did with Sam. Puck didn't need to press his luck here, on this sticking point. "Sir Noah Puckerman."

"Sir?" Kurt asked, his voice warm and lilting. He moved forward, closer to the center of the open space between the castle and the keep wall. Puck refused to give round as Kurt headed toward him. "A knight of the realm! How exciting!"

Puck sneered at Kurt's glib attitude. How dare he? Well, Puck knew that as soon as Kurt transformed, he could probably kill Puck with one swipe of his enormous claws, but still. How dare he come into King William's house and _insult_ one of His Majesty's chosen knights?

"I _earned_ the title." Pushing away the shaking fear that came with being this close to someone deadlier than all of the warriors Puck had ever met. "What have _you_ ever earned?"

Sauntering forward until he and Puck almost shared the same breath, Kurt held forward one hand. It held a ring on his index finger, the ring covered in gem stones. "I _earned_ this," he said, waggling his fingers. "I dug into the earth and pulled each of these stones from the rock around it with my bare talons."

Puck flared his nostrils, trying desperately hard not to call Prince Kurt a bevy of his most choice insults. Now was as good a time as any to fulfill at least part of the duty King William imposed upon him. "I see the way you look at Finn."

Kurt took a step back, swinging his legs in a wide, casual saunter. It was obscene, really. "And what way is that?"

"You know what way." Puck clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm in the hopes that the pain would stop his voice from shaking. "He's betrothed, you know."

"I know," Kurt said, with a frown of moderate disgust. "I'm told I will meet Lima's future queen tomorrow." Kurt's voice turned full and monotone. "My heart aches in anticipation."

Puck clenched his jaw so tightly, the pain lanced down his neck. "I'm serious, dragon. Keep your claws out of the prince!"

Kurt looked up at Puck through his brows, a dangerous smirk on his lips. Puck had almost given into the urge to flee, when suddenly Kurt charged at Puck, grabbing his hands. Kurt pushed Puck back against the castle wall, pinning both of Puck's hands beside his head. Puck was startled to realize that Kurt stood taller than him now, and Kurt's skin shimmered from moonlight pale to dark, glittering black. 

Kurt's voice dropped lower, just enough to make Puck shiver. "And whom would you rather I put my claws in, Sir Knight? You?"

Head swimming, Puck gathered his courage and defiantly replied, "If it keeps you away from Finn."

"Hmm." Kurt's skin settled back to pale, and even in the dim torchlight, Puck could see Kurt's eyes look him up and down. Kurt's sharp breath through his nose was all the warning Puck had before Kurt pressed a kiss to Puck's mouth.

Puck cried out against the kiss, which ended with Kurt pulling away all at once, leaving Puck shaking against the castle wall. Puck couldn't tell if he shook out of rage or fear or arousal, but he knew he hated the dragon prince with every ounce of his being.

As he backed away, Kurt grew taller. Wings unfurled behind his back and his clothes disappeared behind black scales. His words marred by the changing shape of his face, Kurt's speech was slurred. "Good evening, Sssshir Knight."

Kurt took off, then, his wings surging downward, creating such a draft in the courtyard that Puck felt glad for the steady wall behind his back.

The dragon disappeared into the night sky and Puck took more than a few moments to collect his composure before seeking shelter inside the castle. 

Dragons didn't belong in human homes, Puck decided. He would be more than happy when Kurt finally left to go back to Draconia.

~*~

Sitting at the dinner table the next night, between Prince Finn and a noblewoman, Lady Brittany of Pierce, Kurt felt all eyes on him. He didn't mind in the least, and Kurt had to admit that one set of eyes in particular amused him the most. Finn's gallant knight, Sir Noah Puckerman, sat at one of the lower tables glaring at Kurt like his life depended on it.

On Finn's other side sat Lady Quinn and then the Queen. They spoke about Quinn's upcoming wedding to Finn, though Kurt had yet to discern whether a date had actually been set. Just after Kurt began explaining the color of his scales to Finn, Quinn broke in, "Excuse me, my lord Princes. Finn, would you like to tell the Queen your opinion on lilies?"

"My opinion?" Finn asked, looking back to Kurt with a blank expression. Throughout their negotiations that day, Kurt had found Prince Finn to be an observant and clever man. In Quinn's presence, most of that cleverness melted away. The phenomenon made Kurt want to shake out his wings in distaste. 

"For the ceremony," Quinn clarified, her frown unsurprised at Finn's confusion. Kurt wondered how often Finn feigned being something he was not. 

Turning to Lady Brittany, Kurt said, "What lovely jewels you have, m'lady. They look Draconian, if I'm not mistaken."

"I think they are," she replied with a confused expression while staring down at the necklace above her bosom. "My parents live close to the border."

"Well, they look amazing on you. Blue is truly one of your colors." Kurt reached toward her, brushing a lock of Brittany's hair back, nominally so he could better see her earring.

Brittany giggled. “Thank you, Prince Kurt.” Blushing, Brittany leaned closer to Kurt, trailing one hand down her necklace, toward her bosom. For most other men, it was probably an attractive sight. Kurt made his eyes follow her hand, and then snap back up to her eyes, like he realized what he was doing. Brittany giggled again. “I think there might be dancing tonight.”

“Oh?” Kurt asked, his gaze moving back out to the room at large, and then Sir Puckerman in particular. Sir Puckerman glared at Kurt even harder, stabbing his fork into the steak on his plate. Kurt chuckled to himself before turning back to Brittany. “That sounds like fun. I always find human music so enchanting.”

Her mouth pulled into a moue of concern, Lady Brittany nodded to Kurt’s plate. “Aren’t you hungry, Your Highness? The eggplant is tasty tonight!"

"I'm not much for vegetables." Kurt grinned, letting his canine teeth show. Lady Brittany's eyes went satisfyingly wide. "Besides, King William was kind enough to allow me to cull his royal flock. I ate well last night."

Brittany's nose wrinkled. "You ate a cute little sheep?"

Since Kurt had personally watched Lady Brittany relish eating the mutton pies that had been served as the second course, her reaction now confused him. Turning confusion to amusement, Kurt leaned forward and whispered, "I ate two. Whole."

Lady Brittany gasped, but the edges of her lips tipped upward as well. "That's amazing!"

"Well, it was a long flight from Dracon City." Kurt leaned back in his chair, listening with one ear to Quinn and Queen Emma speak about this nebulous marriage ceremony, with Finn chiming in here and there with a grunt of assent. It occurred to Kurt that his sister, Santana, would probably get along very well with Lady Quinn. As long as they weren't trying to kill each other before they got to the point of friendship.

"Oh!" Brittany said, her grin wide. "The same thing happens to me whenever I ride all day. I come home and I just have to eat everything in sight!"

"Well, it hasn't gone to your figure, at all," Kurt said, his smile kind. Lady Brittany beamed back at him and Kurt noted her as a potential ally here in Lima. No doubt she'd been thrust at him during this dinner in the hopes that he'd appreciate her beauty and fall into bed with her. Kurt had no intention of doing so, but he thought having more friends in King William's court than just Prince Finn couldn't hurt.

As dinner concluded, several servants busied themselves moving several of the long tables toward the edges of the room, to make way for dancing. Kurt stood and extended his hand to Lady Brittany. "May I have this dance, m'lady?"

She agreed, saying, "I have to warn you, I'm pretty good."

Kurt laughed. "I assure you, I'm no novice."

They danced well together, quickly becoming the center of attention. Shortly afterward, Finn and Quinn joined the rest of the dancers, Finn giving Kurt an eager smile when their eyes met. Kurt chuckled and rolled his eyes. He turned, leading Brittany into a spin, only to trip over his own feet. He barely managed to keep Brittany from dropping to the floor, but he did manage to step on her foot. "Oh, Lord's scales, I am so sorry!"

"Ouch!" Brittany let Kurt help her to the edge of the dance floor. "No, it's not too bad. Sorry about that, Prince Kurt."

"Oh, no. It was my fault," Kurt insisted, waving one of the servants over. She held a tray full of goblets, so Kurt took one and passed it to Brittany. "Here, at least let me make sure you're refreshed."

Brittany accepted the drink. "You're nice. You'll make a good husband, someday."

Fairly certain Brittany wasn't proposing marriage to _him_ , Kurt replied, "Dragons don't usually marry."

"No?" Brittany stuck out her lower lip and shrugged, her focus going long as she appeared to ruminate on the idea. "But don't you get lonely?"

"Oh, no," Kurt insisted, patting her hand to soothe away the concerned furrow in her brow. "We have our families. We take lovers when it suits us. We just…" Kurt sighed, looking around at the way the humans paired off to dance. "We live long lives, Lady Brittany. Over a century, most of us. It's easier to cultivate friendships which last so many decades, rather than romances."

Brittany nodded, a soft smile playing across her lips. "I love my friends."

A few of Queen Emma's ladies in waiting arrived and Kurt left Brittany to their ministrations. He wandered through the gathering for a few moments before noticing those eyes on him again. Sir Puckerman stood in one corner of the banquet hall, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like the perfect target for a little more fun.

Putting his hands in his trouser pockets, Kurt did his best to appear casual and nonthreatening as he approached Sir Puckerman. The knight's eyes followed Kurt's progress and he stood up straighter, but he didn't run away. Kurt had to admit that Puckerman intrigued him. The vehemence of his hate, mixed with the arousal in his scent made Kurt want to bat him about the way a cat plays with a mouse. Kurt never tried to pretend he wasn't a predator, after all.

"Having fun?" Kurt asked, stopping a few feet away from Sir Puckerman.

Puckerman scoffed. "What did you do to Lady Brittany?"

" _Your Highness_ ," Kurt prompted at Puckerman's insolent attitude. Kurt drew his eyebrows up, prompting Puckerman to repeat after him.

Puckerman stood up taller, taking half a step toward Kurt. "What did you do to her, _Your Highness_." The way Puckerman spat the words made Kurt want to bite at his lips and wreck Sir Puckerman from head to toe. Kurt was unused to ignoring his desires while interacting with humans. After all, mostly Kurt spent time with the humans who lived in Draconia. Most of them welcomed his advances, and those that didn't weren't afraid to say no.

"I let myself be distracted," Kurt said with a smirk, "by _Prince Finn_." Kurt loved the way Puckerman frowned and shifted on his feet, bristling at the mention of Finn. The knight was just so _easy_ to get a reaction out of. "I'm afraid I trod on Lady Brittany's foot. She assures me she'll be fine."

"You'll owe her reparations if she's not."

Kurt watched Puckerman shift back to his other foot, his gaze out on the dancers. Kurt couldn't have that, not when Puckerman's attention thrilled Kurt so. Stepping closer, Kurt held out a hand to Puckerman. "May I have this dance?"

Puckerman's jaw dropped open and he jerked away from Kurt's hand. "No! What are you, insane?"

" _Your Highness_ ," Kurt said, stressing Puckerman's lack of propriety again. "And I doubt I'm insane. You _are_ very attractive, after all. I can see why you think you'd have a chance with Prince Finn."

"I don't _think that_!" Puckerman snarled, his hands coming down to his sides as fists. Kurt had never been punched by a human before, having learned to fight under his father's tutelage. He wondered if it would hurt at all. "Finn is _betrothed_."

Kurt slipped closer to Puckerman, backing him against the wall. "Oh, his betrothal is the problem, is it? Not anything else?"

"Shut up!" Puckerman's voice came out in a low hiss, his nostrils flaring and his eyes wide. Scared. "This is _Lima_ , _Your Highness_. We don't do that here."

Another waft of arousal hit Kurt's nose, making Kurt's mouth water in anticipation. "At least, we don't get caught. Is that it, Sir Knight?"

Finally, Puckerman put his hands up, both to Kurt's chest. He pushed, but gently rather than violently as Kurt had suspected. If Puckerman had been a dragon and Kurt had been teasing him this relentlessly, things would've come to blows by now, even if those blows were largely for show. "Your Highness, _please_ don't do this."

Kurt stepped back immediately. The terror in Puckerman's eyes was no longer funny. "Never let it be said I need to force my lovers into anything." Looking over his shoulder at the dancers on the floor, Kurt said, "If you don't want to dance, I'll have to find someone who does."

"No," Sir Puckerman called after him, but Kurt already had the idea in his head, and it wasn't escaping him now.

Kurt crossed the dance floor, heading directly for Prince Finn and his future wife. Finn's eyes met Kurt's and he slowed down their dancing, making it safe for Kurt to tap Finn's arm. "May I cut in, Your Highness?"

Finn shared a look with Quinn before stepping away from her. "Of course, Your Highness." Finn tried to deliver Quinn's hand to Kurt, but instead, Kurt took Finn's hand and lead him into the dance. "What?"

"I like shaking things up," Kurt replied. He found Finn horrible at being led, so he asked, "Would you like to lead?"

"I think we should stop," Finn said, his cheeks dark pink. Despite his words, Finn did take the lead, pulling Kurt back into the swing of the dance.

Kurt grinned and threw himself into the rhythm. "You're good at this," he told Finn. "Have you had many lessons?"

"Only all my life." Finn lost the worried crinkle at the edges of his eyes, a smile returning to his lips. "I only learned how to lead. You're great at following."

Chuckling, Kurt said, "I've had a few lovers who liked to take the lead, so to speak."

Finn's face remained blank for a few seconds before his eyes went wide. Kurt almost expected him to stumble in surprise, but Finn kept the dance going beautifully. He did blush a beautiful shade of red. "You can't talk about that here!"

"Why not?" Kurt asked, moving as close to Finn's body as the dance allowed. "Everyone here knows I'm a dragon, and besides, I have nothing to fear from them."

"Well, I _do_ ," Finn insisted, but his words held less conviction than the way his hand spread out against the small of Kurt's back. "I suppose this is kind of fun."

Kurt caught a glimpse of Lady Quinn when he and Finn made a quick turn. "Your blushing bride doesn't approve of our fun."

Ducking his head closer to whisper in Kurt's ear, Finn told him, "Quinn doesn't approve of most of the things I find fun."

Kurt clucked his tongue and shook his head, breathing in Finn's intoxicating scent. "You humans. Marriage sounds awful."

"You don't marry?" 

Kurt shook his head. "Of all the things you didn't know about dragons, Prince Finn, I didn't expect this to be one of them."

Finn shrugged and they turned around again, following the other dancers back across the floor. "I mean I knew you had different tastes. I guess I never thought about it." Finn paused for a moment, his brows drawn together. "If your parents never married, how do you know King Burt is your father?"

Because it was the most obvious answer, Kurt said, “Burt raised me. That makes him my father.”

“Oh.” Finn frowned like he was trying to understand, but still didn’t. 

“Look,” Kurt said, moving his head until Finn had to meet Kurt’s eyes. “It isn’t our custom to marry, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love. My father loved my mother. My father loves me. He _chose_ me to be his successor. Why does it have to be more complicated than that?”

Finn shook his head, drawing a deep breath that made his chest brush Kurt’s. “I don’t know.” Finn’s eyes stole back toward where Quinn stood, her foot tapping the floor impatiently. Kurt imagined she thought she was the only person deserving of Finn’s time. As Kurt saw it, Finn didn’t exactly enjoy her company as much as he was supposed to. Finn drew up one side of his mouth in a hesitant smile. “It sounds nice.”

“It is,” Kurt let Finn twirl him out and back in again, laughing at the fun of it. When he landed back in Finn’s arms, Kurt felt his blood grow hot. He took a chance and leaned up toward Finn’s ear. “I could love you better in one hour than she could in an entire lifetime.”

Finn shivered, his eyes dark as Kurt pulled back.

Then a strong hand encircled Kurt’s wrist and tried to pull him away from Finn. Kurt may have been in his smaller form, but that didn’t mean he was vulnerable in the least. He turned on his attacker, skin pulling as it rippled away behind protective scales. The hand around Kurt’s wrist belonged to the King. “Your Majesty,” Kurt said around sharpened teeth. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I cannot suffer this behavior, Prince Kurt,” the King said, releasing Kurt’s wrist and putting his body between Kurt and Finn. “This isn’t Draconia. It’s not our custom for men to dance with one another!”

Kurt’s laugh was disrespectful. He could admit that, but he couldn’t keep himself from letting the sound escape his throat. “What fun is that? The Prince and I were just sharing a moment of friendship.” Kurt let his voice go cold. “Don’t you want our countries to be _friends_?”

“ _That_ was anything but friendly, you licentious, lust-ridden lizard!” The whites of King William’s eyes flashed brightly in his wide-eyed furor.

Finn, along with several of the surrounding courtiers gasped.

Kurt narrowed his eyes and just barely stopped himself from growing tall enough to tower over the king. Kurt’s father sent him here to negotiate a trade treaty, not suffer insults from a tiny _human_ regent. Up until now, Kurt had been friendly in his negotiations, eager to work well with a young man as handsome and kind as Prince Finn.

Kurt had no such eagerness to work with King William, and now that insults were involved, Kurt’s cooperative manner melted away. He felt like he was one wrong move away from attempting to eat the king whole. God, it would be so satisfying to take the king’s neck in his jaws and snap it so King William went limp and dead eyed. “Your _Majesty_. You would do well not to insult me.”

King William kept his distance, but the volume of his voice rose with every word he spoke. “You would do well to stay away from my son! You are a _guest_ in my home, _Your Highness_. Prince Finn is a _man_. Your reptilian, rear-door perversions don’t interest him in the least!”

Only the threat of war between Lima and Draconia, and the ensuing hardship it would cause his people kept Kurt from following through on his fantasy of regicide. Kurt took a calming breath and put his human-like skin back on. He kept his teeth sharp as he spoke. “You do your son a great disservice by speaking for him. This is true." Kurt held up a hand to keep King William from replying. "But you do yourself an even greater disservice by insulting me, Your Majesty. How do you think your people will react when they find out it's _your_ fault they won't be getting any coal for their furnaces this year?"

King William went pale, his mouth dropping open and his eyes going wide. Kurt took that as his cue to leave. He knew the lack of a trade treaty wouldn't last long. His people needed to eat, after all, and Lima was their main supplier of foodstuffs. Still, Kurt couldn't stand in King William's court and just let the king keep insulting him. Kurt was a _dragon_ , a Prince of Draconia. 

King William would do best to remember that.

"You're going to regret your words, Your Majesty. From now until the day you die, you will regret them." With those words, Kurt turned and walked away, before he could do anything more unwise than cut these vital negotiations short. Kurt would have his revenge for this attack on his pride, but he would be smart about it. He wouldn't be like Santana, tearing out the organs of anyone who angered her, as lovely as that sounded at the moment. Kurt didn't look back, even when Prince Finn called after him. The time for friendly overtures was over. 

~*~

Finn ran after Kurt out into the courtyard, but all he could see was a great pair of wings stroke downward, blowing dust into his eyes. When Finn opened them, Kurt was already out of sight. “Shit.” Finn sighed, pushing his hands back into his hair. He shouldn’t have been so friendly with Kurt. Finn _definitely_ shouldn’t have danced with him. Finn knew better, god damn it!

Footsteps sounded on the flagstones behind Finn, so he turned toward them. Puck came out of the castle, his face grim. “Your Highness?”

“I fucked up, Puck,” Finn said, taking a few steps toward his friend, like Puck might bolt away from him, too. Part of Finn wanted to think it a silly thought. Puck was his oldest friend. Puck wouldn’t turn on Finn the way the king had. “This wasn’t just some stable boy, this was the _Prince of Draconia_! The treaty is off! What am I going to do?”

Sighing, Puck came forward and wrapped his arms around Finn. “You didn’t fuck up. The king did.”

Finn drew back as far as he could without breaking Puck’s hold around him so he could look down at Puck’s face. God, he looked so sure of his answer. “But–”

“No,” Puck insisted, frowning at Finn, staring him down. “You didn’t do anything wrong. This is on that pervert dragon and on your father.”

A splutter erupted from Finn’s lips and this time he did break Puck’s hold around him. “What? Kurt’s not… Dragons are just _different_ , is all. And _you’re_ one to talk!”

“Takes one to know one.” Puck nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. “That dance was anything but innocent. And Quinn was _right there_. What was everyone supposed to think?”

Finn stalked past Puck, back into the castle. “That I had it under control!”

Puck didn’t follow as Finn headed back to his rooms. It was only when Finn slammed the door behind him and sank down onto his bed that he realized how much his hands were shaking. 

He still had no idea how this went so wrong so fast.

~*~

Finn was still staring at the ceiling in the early hours of the morning when he heard a noise at his door. He figured it was Puck, but a niggling voice in his head wondered what if it wasn’t? What if it was Finn’s father, there to kill him for being such a disappointment? Worse yet, what if he’d sent someone to do the dead for him? It had been a long time since King William took up arms. Finn didn’t feel so confident against one of the king’s agents.

Finn sprang out of bed, grabbing his sword from the scabbard hanging over the chair near his bed. “Who goes there?”

“Shh,” a voice said, and Finn saw a silhouette holding up its hands. “It’s Kurt.”

“Kurt?” Finn recognized the voice, but he still couldn’t think of this as anything other than a trick. “Is it really you?”

“Put down the sword?” Kurt asked, moving closer slowly. “Unless you’d rather run me through, to make your father proud.”

The cynical tone in Kurt’s voice couldn’t be anyone else. Finn was sure now that it was Kurt standing before him. Finn set the sword down on his bed and closed the distance between them. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to apologize.” Kurt’s hand landed on Finn’s chest and Finn automatically put his hand over it. "I shouldn't have pushed your father so much."

" _He_ shouldn't have said those things to you, Kurt!" Finn gripped Kurt's hand tighter. "But _please_ don't punish my people for what my father has done."

Kurt hummed, like he might consider it, before saying, "A leader must take responsibility for his actions. Though I might be able to think of some consequences which allow restoration of trade between our countries."

"Really?" Finn let go of Kurt and quickly went to his nightstand, lighting the candle there with a match. He brought the light back toward Kurt, who squinted like he was in pain. "What sort of consequence are we talking about here?"

Blinking a few more times, Kurt looked up at Finn through his lashes. "Your Highness, may I kiss you?"

Finn took a sharp, surprised breath, his heart hammering against his ribs. Finn's eyes traveled the curve of Kurt's lips, prominent against his face in the candlelight. A flare of desire sparked through Finn's body and he found himself nodding. If he ever found out, the King would kill Finn, but that was alright. A jerk like King William didn't deserve a son. "Y-yes. That would be good."

Kurt wrapped his arms behind Finn's head and pulled him down, fitting Finn's lips against his own. Finn inhaled as he pressed his lips to Kurt's, moving them slowly. It wasn't all that different from kissing Rachel, except Kurt smelled more like musk and woodsmoke than like the floral perfume Rachel always wore. 

Kurt gasped against Finn's mouth, kissing him deeper, and Finn let his arms come up around Kurt, holding him in place. As desire made him sweat, his breaths coming quickly and shallowly, Finn wondered if this was what Puck felt when he was with Sam. If so, Finn completely understood Puck's actions in a way he hadn't before this moment.

After just a few seconds, Kurt broke away, ignoring Finn's whine urging him back. "Meet me tomorrow night? Midnight, on the bell tower. I want to see you once more before I journey home."

Before Finn could answer, Kurt placed another quick kiss on Finn's lips and then he faded silently into the darkness. 

After Finn was relatively sure Kurt had left, Finn held a hand to his lips. "Shit."

Getting back into bed, his mind racing, Finn debated whether or not he wanted to go meet Kurt. If anyone caught him and told the King, things could get very, very bad for Finn. Then again, Finn couldn't stand the thought of never getting to see Kurt again.

Finn's last thought before he fell asleep was making the decision to go meet Kurt.

~*~

"No, I don't need a keeper," Finn insisted, shooing away the servants as well as Puck. 

Puck paused in the doorway. "You haven't spoken to the king yet?"

Finn shook his head. "I declined to see him today."

"You can't put this conversation off forever, you know." Puck raised an eyebrow and held his ground as he waited for Finn's reply. 

Finn scoffed, putting his hand in the center of Puck's chest and pushing him gently out of the doorway and into the hallway. "You're one to talk, Puckerman. Exactly who did you tell about ..." Finn lowered his voice to a whisper. "About much more than a simple dance?" Finn left out the part where Kurt kissed him. Puck didn't need to know that detail.

Puck rolled his eyes, but turned away as he spoke. "I'm not the prince of Lima."

Puck walked away, and Finn watched him for a moment before closing the door. It was earlier than he usually requested privacy for sleeping, but Finn wanted everyone to think he'd been hours under the covers before he attempted to sneak up to the bell tower. God, how was he going to wait several more hours, going over and over the plan in his head?

Finn passed the time by falling asleep. When he woke up, the time keeping candle he'd lit was almost to midnight. "Shit!"

Finn sprang out of bed, cursing again when he hit his bedside table and knocked off one of the baubles sitting there. Emma kept giving Finn these little figurines, so many that most of the surfaces in his quarters held at least one or two. Luckily the one that fell was made of stone, and not clay or porcelain. It fell to the carpet with a thud and rolled onto the stone floor almost silently.

Thanking the powers for his good fortune, Finn grabbed up his coat and went out onto the balcony. On second thought, he went back into his room and grabbed the scabbard holding his dagger. Finn didn't want to hurt any of his own people, but he thought it stupid to sneak around armed guards without at least some protection. Finn strapped the dagger to his calf and went back out onto the balcony.

Because of Puck, Finn knew exactly how to climb down from his balcony to the one below, which ran the length of the castle, leading back toward the tower. Finn looked over the balcony to make sure there weren't any guards around. He didn't see any, but he had to be careful and silent nonetheless. Captain Tanaka's quarters were directly below Finn's. While it was true he wasn't nearly the soldier Commander Beiste was, waking him would certainly get Finn into trouble, and waylay him from meeting Kurt.

Finn climbed down, placing his feet and hands exactly where Puck had taught him. When he was halfway, still about six feet up from the floor, the stone under Finn's left toe crumbled. Heart up in his throat and breath far too loud for his liking, Finn clung to the wall, finding a new toehold as silently as he could. Another few feet and Finn felt comfortable jumping down the rest of the way, and indeed he landed almost silently.

Finn got up to the bell tower without trouble, which didn't surprise him too much. He and Puck had a long history of sneaking around the castle at night, so Finn was fairly practiced at it. He supposed he might have been expecting someone to catch him, simply because everyone had been walking on eggshells that day because of the King's outburst at Kurt. 

Still, Finn made it to the rendezvous place so quickly he was sure he'd made it before midnight. What he failed to remember was that the timekeeper down at the bottom of the bell tower would pull the bell twelve times once midnight came to pass. Cringing, Finn stuck his fingers in his ears to weather the onslaught of noise.

The sound thumped through Finn's whole body and he began to fear that sneaking out like this would be in vain. What if Kurt hadn't actually come to Finn's room the night before? What if it had been a dream, borne of Finn's perverted mind? What if Kurt didn't actually kiss like he wanted to see Finn's soul? What if Finn was never going to see Kurt again?

Finn wasn't sure he _actually_ wanted a romance with Kurt, much less with a dragon, but everything Kurt had done and said had been so _exciting_. Finn felt himself drawn to Kurt like a well-run horse to water. Couldn't he just slake his thirst and then run on? Kurt had said it himself; dragons didn't marry. They took lovers for short times. Couldn't Finn do the same, at least until the time came to marry Quinn?

As the minutes passed, Finn became more and more convinced that he'd dreamt Kurt the night before. He was out here, in the cold night air, because of a _dream_. Now he was going to have to go back to his room and wait until morning, when he would inevitably have to have that conversation with his father.

Finn promised himself he would only wait a few more minutes before he gave up and sneaked back to his quarters, when he heard footsteps. For a moment, Finn thought they were Kurt’s, but then a voice called up from the bottom of the bell tower. “Finn? Are you up there?” It was Puck.

Even knowing he wouldn’t get in trouble if Puck caught him up her, Finn panicked. If Puck found him, what would Finn tell him? That he’d been kissed by a man _and liked it_? After how Finn reacted to finding Puck with that stable boy? Wincing, Finn looked for a way out.

He found it in the open window facing the wall of the keep. The wall held walkway at its apex, which led from the bell tower to the watchtower on the other corner of the keep. Sure, the watchtower was bound to have guards in it, but it didn’t have Puck, so Finn climbed out of the window and onto the walkway. The walkway had high walls with evenly spaced arrow slits along its length. 

Finn pressed himself against the outside wall of the bell tower, below the window. He and Puck had hidden here many times over the course of their friendship, but Finn hoped Puck wouldn’t bother to look once he found Finn missing from the bell tower itself.

The approaching sound of Puck’s footsteps on the stairs leading up the bell tower echoed loudly in Finn’s ears. He held his breath, waiting for the footsteps to come and then go.

As Finn peaked over the edge of the window, just to check that Puck wasn’t yet at the top, a strong wind blew down against him. Finn turned to see the source of the strange wind, just as a giant claw grabbed him around the middle and lifted him up into the air. 

On instinct, Finn curled his body so he could reach the dagger on his calf. He took the weapon from its scabbard and thrust it against the leg of the monster holding him. The dagger hit and got wedged under one of the scales on the leg. Above Finn, a roar filled the air and beneath him, the ground quickly dropped. 

“Oh, god!” Finn cried, suddenly realizing he was in a dragon’s grip. Was it Kurt? Was it someone else?

Finn pulled his dagger out from under the dragon’s leg, twisting to get it free. The scale popped off and fell, along with Finn’s dagger when it slipped out of his numbing hand. The dragon’s claws around Finn’s chest made it hard to breathe, and Finn began to get dizzy. The cold air rushed past Finn’s ears as he blacked out.

~*~

Something about the way Finn drove Puck away didn't sit right with him, so after failing to fall asleep, Puck made his way back to Finn's quarters. The guards would let him in, like they always did, and Puck would sleep in the extra bed, like he always did. In the morning, Finn would see him there and know that he couldn't get rid of Puck that easily.

When he got into Finn's room, it was dark like he expected. Puck almost didn't go by Finn's bed to check on him, but something struck Puck as different. He went to Finn's beside quietly, trying not to wake Finn. He shouldn't have worried. Finn wasn't even in his bed. 

Puck searched the rest of Finn's quarters hastily, looking in the wardrobe, the bath chamber, and even the servants' alcove where Puck had planned on sleeping.

Finn wasn't anywhere to be found. Shit.

What was going on with Finn? Ever since he caught Puck with Sam, he'd been acting strangely, and this was the strangest action of all. Why would Finn sneak out of his quarters _without_ asking Puck to come with him? Finn had never wandered the castle at night without Puck. At least, he'd never told Puck about it if he had.

What if Finn hadn't left voluntarily? What if he'd been kidnapped?

Heart beating loud in his ears, Puck hurried out to the balcony. He did notice that the door to the balcony wasn't completely closed, like Finn had planned on coming back, and didn't want to get locked out by the door which tended to stick shut. The sight made Puck sigh in relief. If Finn planned on coming back, that meant he'd left his room under his own power.

Did Finn not trust Puck anymore? Did he think less of Puck after what he'd seen? Had he been trying to understand Puck better by letting Kurt dance with him? Had Finn freaked out about dancing with Kurt and King William's subsequent unease with that action?

Was Finn distancing himself from Puck, because he knew about Puck now and didn't want to be associated with Puck anymore? Was Finn revoking his friendship?

All these questions and more rattling around in his head, Puck climbed down from Finn's balcony to the one below. One of the toeholds was missing when he went to put his foot on it, but Puck managed to find a replacement purchase without otherwise slipping. 

As Puck followed the balcony around the castle, he mentally reviewed all the places where Finn might have gone. He wouldn't run away, that Puck was sure of. Prince Finn of Lima was not the kind of guy who ran away. He never had been and he wouldn't be now. No, he was still within the keep walls. But where?

Puck thought about heading for the kitchens, but then he remembered Finn barely touching his food at the dinner they'd shared in Finn's quarters. It wasn't like Finn to just suddenly turn his appetite back on. It usually took him a day or two to warm up to the idea of eating again. Once, after Finn had helped slaughter a pig and he didn't eat much other than bread for the next fortnight.

No, Finn had to be somewhere else. 

When the bell began to ring midnight, Puck had an idea. He walked over to the base of the bell tower, stopping when he ran into the timekeeper. "Ryder."

"Sir Puckerman," the young cleric nodded, placing his torch in the sconce next to the bell tower door. "What are you doing out so late?"

"Looking for someone," Puck said, brushing past. Ryder closed his hand around Puck's wrist, stopping him. He smiled until he caught sight of Puck's face in the torchlight. Puck demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry." Ryder's face fell and he took back his hand like Puck had burned him. "I just– I heard that–"

Puck turned on him, staring Ryder down. "You heard _what_?"

Ryder gulped audibly. "Nothing. I heard nothing!"

"Damn right you didn't." Puck sighed and backed off half a step. "Who did you not hear this from?"

Ryder shifted from one foot to the other and back again. "Sam?"

Nodding, Puck pointed at Ryder. "You tell Sam and anyone else they'd better keep their mouths shut if they know what's good for them."

"Sure." Ryder nodded and Puck escaped into the bell tower. As he ascended the stairs, he let out the breath he'd been holding. Of course Sam hadn't kept his mouth shut. Guy had such a big mouth, the secret was bound to slip out.

Puck had no idea what to do about it, save making sure Sam and anyone else who knew had "accidents." The thought of the way Finn would look at him if he did arrange for those accidents kept Puck from taking the idea seriously. He wasn't the kid who took one too many hits from his father before the bastard left. He wasn't the kid who only knew how to do two things: fight and lie. Puck was better than that now, and it was all due to his friendship with Finn.

Finn was bound to be up in the bell tower, right? There was no where else, unless he decided to drown his sorrows in the wine cellar. The wine cellar was more heavily guarded than the bell tower, so Puck doubted Finn would be there.

When Puck had reached the second to last landing before the top of the tower, a stiff wind barreled down the tower shaft, ruffling Puck's cloak. Shortly afterward, someone cried out and then a loud roar echoed through the tower. It knocked Puck right off his feet and down a few steps before he caught himself. A sharp pain lanced through Puck's wrist as he struggled to right himself.

Holding his wrist with the other hand, Puck hurried up the stairs. There was no one in the bell tower, so Puck climbed out onto the keep wall. He found nothing. Remembering the roar, Puck turned his eyes toward the sky. There might have been a dark smudge on the eastern horizon, but it was too dark to see anything other than stars and the moon.

Puck stumbled forward, and his foot kicked an object, making it skitter against the stones of the walkway with a metallic clang. Puck chased after it, his foot landing on something else, which was as hard as stone, but shifted against the walkway with a dry crackle. Puck stooped, picking up the hard object, then finding the handle of what felt like a dagger. 

It was too dark to see, so Puck stowed the dagger in his belt and held the other object close to his chest. He turned to climb back into the bell tower, but his foot landed on yet another item that wasn't supposed to be there. It was a bit of metal, with a sharp pin attached. The pin pricked Puck's palm and he cursed before picking it up by the smooth part. The object felt sickeningly familiar and all of a sudden, Puck feared he knew what had happened.

Rather than climb back into the bell tower, Puck ran across the walkway toward the watchtower, where a few guards were calling back and forth to each other. "Friends!" Puck called as he approached. "It's Puckerman. Someone, give me some light!"

One of the soldiers brought a torch over, holding it above Puck's head as he looked at the items in his hand. The metal pin he recognized immediately as the brooch he'd given Finn the night before. "These are Finn's," he said to the soldiers around him. "This brooch and this dagger, they belong to the prince."

Azimio, one of the largest soldiers in the guard, pointed to the other object in Puck's hands. "What's that?"

"I don't know," Puck replied, looking up.

Matt Rutherford stood there, reaching out for the thing. It was black and ovular, and a little sharp at the edges. "It looks like a scale," Matt said, taking it from Puck's hands. "A dragon scale."

"A dragon took Finn." Puck's breath left him in a rush and he fought the urge to sag to his knees. "How could this happen?"

"We didn't see a dragon," Azimio said, puffing up his chest. "Maybe it's left over from when the Prince was visiting."

"Why would Prince Kurt leave one of his scales on our wall?" Anger rose up in Puck's throat. He lashed out and took the scale back before the guards could start passing it around. "Sound the alert."

"Aye," Rutherford replied, moving the way Puck had come, toward the bell tower.

"Lock the gates," Puck added, knowing he didn't have the authority to give that order, but not really caring. "If Finn is still in the keep somewhere, I want to know about it."

"You don't _really_ think a dragon took Finn, do you?" Azimio asked, following Puck down the steps of the watchtower. "'Cause that would be the dumbest move a dragon has ever played. The King will go to war for his son."

"I know." Puck took the stairs three at a time. "The sooner we find Finn, the less likely war becomes."

"I ain't takin' that bet."

Puck frowned as he burst out into the keep yard, running toward the castle. If a dragon really did take Finn, and if war was to come, Puck was going to be at the leading edge. Nothing would stop him from getting his Prince back. 

~*~

Kurt hadn't meant to take the Prince of Lima, but when he spotted Finn outside the bell tower, crouched below a window like he was hiding from something, Kurt lost his sense of reason. Figuring Finn had to be hiding from his father, the no-good bigot of a man who didn't _deserve_ a son like Finn, Kurt saw red. Instead of changing to his human form as he landed, Kurt grew bigger. He grabbed Finn in the claws of one of his hands, just before the next downstroke of his wings. This would show King William. Kurt would spirit away his son, show Finn a better life in Draconia, and William would have to apologize to get Finn back. This plan was perfect!

Kurt realized his mistake when Finn cried out, not in surprise, but in fear. A sharp point wedged under one of Kurt's scales, pulling on it and startling a pained roar from Kurt's throat. On reflex, Kurt squeezed, which made Finn pull the dagger loose and then drop it. As Kurt broke out of a hover and took off toward the horizon, he felt the sting of his scale wrenching out of its root and Finn went limp in his claw. 

Kurt loosened his grip, cradling Finn in both of his hands as he flew toward the border, and from there to the only place he could think to go: his personal estate. There was no way he could bring the Prince of _Lima_ to Dracon City. Kurt should just turn around and return Finn home.

Except Finn wasn't moving and Kurt feared he'd accidentally killed Finn. Humans were fragile and sometimes it was hard to tell how much force their little bodies could take. Kurt didn't want to land and check on Finn, partly because he was worried there might be soldiers from Lima after him, and partly because he didn't want to know for sure that he'd killed a friend.

At one point, Finn shifted in Kurt's hold and groaned, which made Kurt sigh in relief. It upset the pattern of breaths that paired with the beats of his wings and Kurt lost some altitude as he got back in synch. Finn didn't wake up, or if he did, Kurt didn't notice.

It took about three hours of flying for Kurt to reach his estate, and though dragons were meant to fly long distances, Kurt's muscles ached from flying that far with Finn's extra weight. He bugled twice as he approached, letting his guards know he was coming. Since it was the middle of the night, his chances of being taken for an intruder were higher than not if he didn't announce himself.

One of Kurt's night watchmen, David, met him in the courtyard, helping Kurt lower Finn to the ground. "What's this, m'lord?"

Kurt finished transforming, his wings folding into his back and his clothes reappearing. He winced. "It's Prince Finn of Lima."

"And…what's he doing here?" David put his wrist to Finn's forehead and frowned.

Kurt answered truthfully. "I don't really know. Is he okay?"

"He's too cold." David took off his cloak and draped it over Finn. Luckily David was one of the tallest of the guard, so his cloak covered most of Finn's body. "We should get him inside. Next to a fire."

"Yes, let's," Kurt agreed, sticking two fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly for more guards. They came quickly, all clad in their uniforms and armor, and Kurt ordered them to bring Finn to his own chambers.

As they walked, David told Kurt, "Your Highness? The Duchess is still visiting."

"Perfect," Kurt said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Well, at least she's not the Princess."

David laughed. "True enough."

Kurt's guard deposited Finn on the reclining couch Kurt had next to the hearth, and several of them set to starting a fire right away. "Thank you, everyone," Kurt said, crouching next to the couch and taking Finn's hand in his. "At dawn, let's send to the village for the human medicine woman. I want her to take a look at him."

"Yes, Your Highness," one of the other guards, Suzy, said. "I'll make sure it gets done myself."

The fire roared to life, and Kurt dismissed everyone still in the room. As they left, several got bowled over by the Duchess herself, Lady Mercedes, storming into the room. Mercedes' night robes fluttered behind her and she stalked across the room toward Kurt, her nostrils flared widely.

"What the hell is going on?" Mercedes pointed to Finn. "Who the hell is that?"

"I _might_ have messed up the negotiations," Kurt said, sitting down in his armchair and letting his head fall into his hands.

"You _might_ have– Kurt, who the _hell_ is this?" Mercedes put her hand on Kurt's shoulder, squeezing gently.

Head still in his hands, Kurt confessed. "It's Prince Finn. I think I might have kidnapped him."

"You _what_?" Mercedes let go of Kurt's shoulder and smacked the back of his head with her open palm. Few people could get away with striking the heir to the Draconian crown, but Lady Mercedes was one of them. "Why would you do that? This could start a _war_!"

"I know!" Kurt stood up and rounded the couch so he could see Finn better. He looked like his cheeks had more color now than they had a few minutes ago. "It's not my fault."

Mercedes raised one unimpressed eyebrow at Kurt.

"Okay! It's a little my fault. But King William insulted me. I _had_ to teach him a lesson!" Now that he said it out loud, Kurt realized how delusional his plan had been from the start. Still, Finn was here now. Kurt might as well go through with the plan, right?

"You are _insane_!" Mercedes smacked Kurt again. "You can't go around kidnapping people! Especially not Princes! What happened to negotiations?"

"They were going really well until King William called me a lizard!" Kurt realized he was shouting, so he covered his mouth with both hands, eyes going wide as he looked over at Mercedes.

Beside them, Finn groaned. He raised a hand to his head and Kurt froze. Oh, Lord's scales, what was he going to do?

~*~

Finn woke up to voices arguing, each syllable making his head ring with pain. He put a hand to his head to try to make the pain stop, but it didn’t help. A groan escaped his lips and he struggled to get his eyes open. 

“Shh, shh,” said a voice next to Finn, high and soothing as a hand pressed against his shoulder.

“Mom?” Finn squeezed his eyes further shut, hoping that would help work up the momentum to get them all the way open. It worked and he opened his eyes, seeing first a ceiling, and then as he turned his head, Kurt’s face. “Kurt?”

“Hi,” Kurt said with a sheepish smile.

Why would he be feeling sheepish? What could _Kurt_ have done? Was he still feeling bad about th dance they shared? And then Finn remembered. Despite the sharp pain in his head and the way the room swam, Finn sat up. “Wait! I was on the bell tower and I was grabbed by a– Well, by a claw.”

Kurt raised one hand, wiggling his fingers. “Yeah, that was me. Sorry, about that.”

“I–” Finn made a thrusting motion with his right hand. “Did I hurt you?”

“No!” Kurt shook his head vigorously. “Oh, no. I’m fine. It was just one scale. Did I hurt _you_?”

Finn shifted his body around, taking stock of any injuries he might have. “Mostly it’s my head. Next time warn a guy before you pick him up.”

Kurt looked down at his hands, which he’d folded over his knees as he crouched next to the sofa on which Finn sat. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

Finn looked around the room, which he didn’t recognize, and saw a curvy young woman who had dark skin and hair. “Where am I?”

Kurt’s nose crinkled and he pursed his lips off to one side. “Draconia?”

“Draconia!” Finn jumped to his feet and instantly regretted it. “Why did you bring me here? My father’s going to kill me. He’s going to kill _you_!”

“I couldn’t let the insult stand!” Kurt got to his feet, throwing out an arm to steady Finn when the room began to tilt. “I couldn’t _leave_ you with a man who felt like that.”

“He wasn’t just any man, Kurt! He’s my father!”

Kurt stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. “I’ll bring you back once he apologizes.”

The woman quietly admonished him. “Kurt…”

“So I’m a prisoner?” Finn asked, taking a few slow steps as his head evened out. “I’m the Prince of Lima, Kurt! You _can’t_ take me prisoner!”

“You’re free to go,” Kurt insisted, giving the woman a side-long look before he returned his gaze to Finn. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll help you get home.”

Finn growled in frustration and took a few more steps away from Kurt before turning back to him. He pointed to Kurt’s friend. “Who’s this?”

Kurt sighed, but he answered. “Lady Mercedes, Duchess of Jonesland.”

“Dragon?”

Mercedes scoffed at Finn. “I’m a Duchess of a Draconian province,” she said, looking at Finn like he was a fool. “What do you think?”

“I think,” Finn said, turning his gaze back toward Kurt, “that King William is _never_ going to apologize. Have you heard of Queen Theresa?”

Kurt’s colored cheeks turned white in the light from the fireplace. “I thought she was a myth.”

Finn shook his head sadly and put his hand on the back of the sofa, leaning against it to keep some of his weight off his feet. “While the King was still married to my mother, he had an affair with Lady Theresa. She told him she was pregnant, so King William dissolved his marriage with _my_ mother and married her instead.”

“You don’t have any siblings,” Kurt said, sharing a quick glance with Mercedes. “Not any that we’ve heard of.”

Mercedes shook her head in agreement.

“That’s because she wasn’t pregnant,” Finn said, bringing his hands together and picking at one thumb with the fingers of the other hand. “She lied because she wanted to be Queen.”

“We’ve only heard rumors…” Mercedes said.

“When the King found out, he banished her. He ordered no one to talk to her or help her in any way.” Finn gave Kurt a sad smile. “We think she might have made it to her home town and her parents’ house, but they wouldn’t dare say she was there when asked. The way he ran her out of Lima Castle with _nothing_ was more difficult to watch than an execution.”

“Wouldn’t you have been glad?” asked Mercedes. “She took your mother’s place as Queen with her lies.”

Finn shook his head. “My mother _hated_ being Queen. She wasn’t fond of King William. I think it was a relief for her when he wanted to end their marriage.”

Kurt nodded a few times, pulling his arms closer around his chest. “That doesn’t mean he should be allowed to get away with insulting a foreign prince.”

“Where’s your father? Perhaps we can get him to talk to my father. I’m sure between the two of them, they can work something out.” Finn raised his eyebrows at Kurt hopefully.

In turn, Kurt averted his gaze, first toward Mercedes, then toward the floor. “Um.”

“Kurt?”

His nose crinkling again, Kurt looked up at Finn through his eyelashes. “This is my private estate. My father doesn’t even know I’ve left Lima.”

“Word might have spread by now.” Mercedes cocked one hip and rested her hand on it. “You know at least one of your human servants had orders to report back to King Burt daily.”

Kurt turned his eyes toward the ceiling with a sigh. “I know.”

“This is big trouble, Kurt.” Finn closed the distance between them, cupping one of Kurt’s elbows in his hand. It was hard to believe this man was the same dragon who’d grabbed Finn from the keep wall and carried him all the way to Draconia. “The sooner you take me back, the less trouble there will be.”

Kurt seemed to think it over for a moment, but then he shook his head. “No. I _can’t_. Unless the King apologizes, I can’t bring you back there. Finn, he’ll squeeze all of the _joy_ out of you!”

Finn broke away from Kurt, throwing his hands up in frustration. “It’s not a King’s purpose to be joyful. Take me back!”

Kurt pressed his lips together. “I care about you too much, Finn. I can’t do it.”

Finn thought about how long it would take to walk all the way back to Lima. Even if Finn could talk a horse out of Kurt, it would take at least a few days, maybe a week if the passes through the mountains were far away. Without a map, Finn was sure to get lost in the mountains. He’d probably run into bears, too.

No, Finn was going to have to get Kurt’s help. Somehow.

Sighing, Finn said, “I’ll stay the night, at least.”

Kurt’s eyebrows jumped up and his mouth fell open. “You will?”

Mercedes rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I will. It’s not like there are many options to choose from here.”

Kurt had the courtesy to look a little guilty, bowing his head. “I’ll show you to where you can stay.”

Finn had this niggling thought about what he might do if Kurt showed him not to his own rooms, but to Kurt’s rooms instead. Would Finn protest? Or would he stay with Kurt, like a lover?

~*~

"Alright, puppies," Commander Beiste said, putting her heavy arm over Puck's shoulders. "Here's the deal. Prince Finn is missing. We think he was kidnapped by a dragon with black scales." She held up the scale Puck had found atop the keep wall.

Puck rolled his eyes. The only dragon with black scales who'd been in the vicinity of Lima any time recently had been Prince Kurt. He didn't know why Commander Beiste couldn't just say that Kurt had taken Finn. It was obviously true.

Commander Beiste continued, taking her arm from around Puck's shoulders. "We're waiting for word back from King Burt, who we expect will cooperate in our search for Prince Finn. This situation is trickier than a hog's back side on a rainy day, soldiers. You get me?" She paused, waiting for enough of the people around her to nod, despite Puck being fairly sure none of them understood the phrase. "We don't go anywhere near the Draconian border until we hear back from the King."

"Why would King Burt help us?" Puck refused to stand down when Commander Beiste turned to him, her frown as deep as he'd ever seen it. "I mean, it was his son who took Finn. He's not going to help us."

"There are hundreds of dragons with black scales, Puckerman." Beiste stepped closer to him, her eyes narrowed. "We can't make any accusations that might land us in frog water!"

"We can't _abandon_ Finn! He's not just any soldier!" Puck fumed, and he didn't care that Commander Beiste looked about ready to hit him. He raised his chin higher. "Finn is our _prince_. As far as I'm concerned, the dragons declared war as soon as they took him!"

A voice from behind the crowd of soldiers cleared his throat, and everyone quickly parted to let the king through. "As far as _I'm_ concerned, Sir Puckerman, none of the evidence shows Finn did anything other than run away."

Puck had to hold himself stock-still so he wouldn't do something stupid, like try to take a swing at King William.

"We'll make inquiries to King Burt, with all our best regards, and go from there. Our working relationship with Draconia is more important than any one person, even if that person is my son." William's gaze lingered on person after person, spending a long moment on Commander Beiste before landing on Puck.

Beside Puck, Commander Beiste gulped audibly and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. I'll make sure _each_ of my soldiers understands the severity of the situation." She looked at Puck as well and Puck had to clench his jaw to be able to stand there and take the scrutiny.

"See that you do." King William left as abruptly as he arrived, Captain Tanaka bumbling along in his wake, rather than staying and taking his place in the chain of command like he was supposed to.

As soon as the King was out of earshot, Puck took a step closer to Commander Beiste and said in her ear, "King Burt might not know where to find Finn. Dragons don't always talk to each other!"

Nostrils flaring, Commander Beiste hissed back at him, "You know I love you like my own son, Puckerman, but you've gotta let this go. How would you even know dragons don't talk to each other. Last I checked, you hated the buggers."

"I read up on them when the king announced Finn would be in charge of negotiations. Apparently Prince Kurt has his own estate on our Eastern border, just over the mountains. Don't you think he would have taken Finn there?" Puck's lips felt dry, close to cracking, and he licked them nervously, hoping the Commander would see things his way.

"Maybe so," Beiste said with a tilt of her head. " _If_ he was the one who took Finn."

Puck scoffed. "Everyone saw how much that lizard wanted Finn. Who else would have taken him?"

Beiste narrowed her eyes at Puck. "Even if that's true, we don't move without the King's orders. Understand, Sir Puckerman?"

Puck could see he wasn't getting anywhere with Commander Beiste, so he swallowed his pride and nodded. Puck could act the part of the good soldier. He'd been playing it ever since Finn convinced him to stop swiping things from people's quarters and go on the straight-and-narrow. Puck had played the part well enough to be named a knight of the realm.

He could play the part long enough to make it through the rest of the day. When everyone thought he was playing along and took their eyes off him, Puck would steal away from the Keep. He'd take his horse, say he was going to spend the night with his mother out in the village, and then leave town.

If no one else was going to save Finn from that delusional, love-struck dragon, then Puck would do it himself. 

~*~

Kurt admitted to himself over the next day or so that yes, taking Finn away from Lima without consulting him first was a dumb move. Still, Finn had yet to try to escape. Kurt knew in the back of his mind that Finn's reluctance to leave probably had more to do with his aversion to trekking through the mountains on foot than it did with Finn's feelings for Kurt.

As they walked out to the field outside Kurt's estate house for a breakfast hunting flight, Kurt asked Mercedes, "Do you think I should get him a present?"

"Get who a what, now?" Mercedes asked, tucking her hair behind one ear. 

"Finn," Kurt replied. "A present. Something so he knows I care about him?"

"Oh, you mean kidnapping him from his home wasn't gift enough?" Mercedes rolled her eyes. "I suppose it couldn't _hurt_."

Kurt saw the skeptical tilt of her brow. "But?"

"Finn doesn't seem like the type to take well to bribes." Mercedes then grinned and threw her arm around Kurt's waist. " _I_ , on the other hand…"

Laughing, Kurt pushed her away. "I got you a present for your hatchday last month."

"But that was _last month_!"

Kurt leveled an unimpressed look at her, which made Mercedes break into a hearty chuckle. Kurt was about to tell Mercedes that greed didn't look good on her, when he noticed a figure far off in the sky. Squinting, Kurt pointed and asked, "Who's that?"

Mercedes followed Kurt's line of sight. "Too small to be Burt," she said, her hand shielding her eyes from the sun. "I think I see orange scales."

"Shit." Kurt dared one last glance back toward the castle. "I bet it's Santana."

"Yeah."

As the dragon grew closer, circling in on Kurt's pasture, Kurt recognized the fiery orange dragon as his sister, Santana. She bugled in greeting as she back winged and landed.

As Santana walked toward them, she shrank rapidly, her wings folding in and a sporty riding uniform replacing her scales. Kurt didn't think he'd ever seen his sister ride a horse. Why would she need to, with perfectly good wings on her back? "What's happening, miscreants?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, trying to hide the fact that he feared her reasons for coming here. "Come to hear the gossip, sister dear?"

Santana shrugged with one shoulder as she looked Mercedes up and down. "Father sent me to make sure you didn't steal a prince."

"W-why would I steal a prince?” Kurt chuckled, trying to sound amused and carefree, rather than guilty as the underworld. 

Santana raised her brow at him and Kurt could tell that she didn’t believe him. Her disbelief could have just as easily been about her dislike of him as it was about Kurt’s less-than-stellar lying. Eggmother’s breath, Kurt was a dragon! He changed his shape at will. He excelled at lying. Why was he having such a hard time doing it now, when it mattered most?

Before Santana could verbally call out Kurt’s lie, Mercedes broke into the conversation. “Hey, Princess Santana,” she said with a flirty wink.

Santana blinked a few times before a smile tugged on the corners of her mouth. “Lady Mercedes. That’s a nice dress. Matches your scales, if I’m remembering correctly?”

Mercedes’ smile grew into a grin. “It _does_! Would you like to see how well?”

Santana gave the barest nod as Mercedes walked past her into the field, shifting as she walked. Her scales gleamed a beautiful deep purple color in the mid-morning sun. Mercedes ruffled her wings and twitched her tail near Santana before stretching her wings out.

Taking half a step in Mercedes’ direction before she stopped herself, Santana looked back over her shoulder at Kurt. “I’ll be back after I take care of this.” Kurt rolled his eyes at Santana’s phrasing. “If I so much as smell a _hint_ of a new human in your estate, I’m telling Father.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I haven’t hired that new sculler yet, isn’t it?” Kurt kept his chin up and his eyes locked on Santana’s until she turned away from him with a scoff.

“Until later, Brother.” 

With that, Santana took off in a run, changing as she went and leaping into the air after Mercedes. Kurt didn’t stay to watch them neck midair and then climb into a mating flight. Instead, Kurt made his way back to the estate house as sedately as he could manage. He could probably manage to hide Finn in one of the animal barns. Santana never went in there if she could help it.

Introducing Finn to the pigsties to mask his scent wasn't exactly the welcome gift Kurt had been looking for. Kind of the opposite, really. So, Kurt would need a doubly good present. 

Rolling his eyes as two shadows whipped overhead at breakneck speed, Kurt realized that Mercedes had done him a huge favor by distracting Santana. Now he needed to think of a present for _her_ , too. Luckily, the last time Kurt had made a trip into the mountains, he'd found quite a few gems. He was sure there was at least one Mercedes would love to have.

Kurt sighed. This trip to Lima had been about taking responsibility in his position as heir to the throne, not using his personal horde to buy off his friends for favors. Not to mention that as soon as Burt found out about what Kurt had done, there would be a price to pay.

Kurt didn't even want to think about that price.

~*~

"Okay," Kurt said, entering the barn through the big doors on the southern end. "My sister is gone. I think we managed to pull one over on her."

"That's good," Finn replied, hearing the uncertainty in his own voice. "Does that mean I can get out of this place?"

"It does." Kurt took Finn's elbow with a smile and led him out of the barn and back toward the house. "In fact, I had Tina draw you a nice, hot bath."

Finn had to admit that sounded nice, so he took Kurt up on the offer. As he was washing the pig stench from his hair, Finn thought about how he was going to get back home. He wondered exactly what would happen if he tried to leave. Kurt insisted he wasn't a prisoner, but he'd certainly kept a good eye on Finn the whole time he'd been here.

Finn knew there was no way his father would apologize, and he had a suspicion that Kurt was also too stubborn to be the first to break this standoff. Finn hated being in the middle of any argument, but he hated this one in particular.

Finn was _Prince_ of Lima. He couldn't just stay in Draconia until other people made decisions. It was his duty as a leader to find his way back home, just like it was his duty to run Lima in his father's stead and to marry and produce heirs. These were facts in Finn's life and they couldn't be avoided just because Finn had been kidnapped.

Holding his resolve became difficult when Finn sank down into the warm water, which was covered with sweet-scented foam. None of Finn's servants could draw a bath like this. Finn would have to ask Tina how she'd done it before he left.

Finn frowned. No, he had to leave as soon as possible, and he had to do it in a way no one would expect. Surely they wouldn't expect him to leave a bath while the water was still hot, dress in the plainest clothes that had been laid out for him, and head directly off the estate without so much as a snack for the road.

As well as being a prince, Finn was a trained soldier of Lima. It wouldn't be _comfortable_ , but he was capable of making his way home. At least he could test the limits of his capture, for future reference when he had more of a plan of escape.

So Finn executed his plan, dressing quickly and heading for the windows of his borrowed quarters. One of the windows opened up over a outcropping of the roof, which was only ten feet or so above the ground. Finn had fallen farther as a child when he and Puck used to climb the trees in Lady Fabray's orchards, instead of socializing with Quinn Fabray like they were supposed to be doing.

Finn dropped to the ground easily, managing to avoid sending a shock through his ankles and calves. He kept his head down and walked toward the edge of the clearing around the estate house, heading in the direction of the dirt road that cut through the scraggly mountain forest around them. 

No one stopped him. No one yelled or came after him. Finn made it to the tree line without incident.

He stopped there, looking back at the estate. It was a simple manor house, surrounded by a few outbuildings, a pasture, and a field for crops. Simple, and yet elegant. Finn liked it much better than Lima castle. He even liked it better than King William's hunting estate in the foothills of the Western mountains.

It felt calm here, sedate, in a way that Finn had never really had before. Here he didn't have to be Prince Finn, Lord Protector of Lima and All Her Realms. Here he was just Prince Kurt's friend-and-hostage. Finn the hostage had to hide in pigstys, sure, but he also got amazing bubble baths. The food he'd been served that morning was excellent, and if Finn caught a deep enough breath, he could smell a roast cooking on the spit in the outside hearth.

Finn's mouth watered and his feet, in well-fitting but still unfamiliar shoes, ached at the thought of walking through the mountain forest at night.

It couldn't hurt to spend one more night, could it? Kurt seemed to think Santana, and thus King Burt, was satisfied. No one would be looking for Finn here. Finn's father couldn't find him here, only to call Finn's friends (and vicariously Finn) names. Lady Quinn couldn't find Finn here, only to make more demands about their wedding and married life even before her father had gathered an appropriate dowry. 

No, one night couldn't hurt. Finn would ask again in the morning if Kurt wouldn't swallow some pride and help Finn get back to Lima.

Holding his head high this time, as a prince ought, Finn walked back toward the estate.

Kurt met him, leaning against the jamb of the front door. "Have a nice walk?"

"No one tried to stop me," Finn replied, feeling at once like he'd made the best decision and the worst decision by turning around. Kurt had this _pull_ over Finn that he hadn't felt about anyone before. Maybe it was a dragon thing, but Finn had done all the reading he could on dragons and hadn't found one word about magical seduction. Instead, Finn figured it had to be Kurt himself, his personality, that attracted Finn.

The fact that Finn found himself attracted not just to a dragon, but to a _male_ dragon still bothered Finn, even though he didn't want it to. Finn wasn't like his father. Finn didn't mind that Puck slept with men. Finn didn't think it his place to judge. After all, Puck had been Finn's friend through thick and thin for most of their lives. What kind of friend would Finn be if he overlooked all that history for something as insignificant as where Puck placed his affections?

Maybe, just for tonight, Finn could pretend that he was just as free in his affections. He could pretend that giving into his attraction for Kurt wasn't the end of the world, and that no one would punish him for it. "Smells like dinner's cooking?"

Kurt nodded. "Artie says it's almost ready. I hope you like roast mutton."

Finn shrugged. "I eat just about anything, as long as it's not raw."

A gleam in his eye, Kurt smirked, his canines sharp and thrillingly dangerous-looking. "You're missing out, Your Highness." Kurt offered Finn his arm.

Finn took it, letting Kurt lead him back into the house and to the formal dining room.

Throughout the meal that Kurt's two house servants, Artie and Tina, served, Finn found himself watching Kurt's mouth. Finn had only kissed that mouth once, and it still seemed like it must have happened in a dream. There was no way reality could live up to that dream, even if Finn _was_ allowing himself to pretend the outside world didn't exist.

When dinner ended, Kurt showed Finn up the stairs and to Finn's quarters, like he could have forgotten where they were in a house this small. "Sleep well, Prince Finn. I'll see you in the morning."

The mention of the morning made Finn feel desperate. This simple estate-lord fantasy would end in the morning. Finn was leaving in the morning. If he was ever going to find out what Kurt's lips tasted like while he was awake, Finn had to do it now.

Watching Kurt's eyes to make sure he wasn't reading the situation wrong, Finn leaned into Kurt's space and placed a slow kiss on Kurt's lips. Kurt drew a quick breath through his nose and pressed into the kiss, throwing his arms around Finn's neck. Finn tilted his head and deepened the kiss, pressing his lips against Kurt's lips, his body against Kurt's body.

The thrill of feeling Kurt kiss him back, sliding their lips against each others', made the hair on the back of Finn's neck stand on end. The tingles traveled throughout his body, even when Kurt pulled away. Eyes heavy-lidded, Kurt whispered, "Good night, Finn."

"Good night," Finn replied, his throat without voice, his breath tight in his chest. Part of Finn wanted to call Kurt back, but the rest of him was happy to escape before things got too intense.

Finn let himself into his room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it and letting his head fall back.

If anything, that kiss had felt better than the one Finn thought might have been a dream. It felt better than any kiss Finn had ever had. Finn felt like if things had moved any further, he might have died of shock and pleasure.

Better to cut things short, because now Finn began to seriously doubt his conviction that tomorrow would be the morning he left for his trek back to Lima. Tomorrow seemed far too soon.

~*~

Puck made it out of the city without incident, bribing the guards at the gate with a gold piece each to forget they'd seen him. He made his way through the countryside as quickly as he dared, heading for the mountain pass marked on his map. Supposedly the road lead directly to Kurt's estate, so Puck made as much progress as he could without exhausting his horse. 

The mountain pass was difficult and slow, but not so much worse than conditions Puck was used to during treks out for hunting or when he had been assigned to patrol the Northern border for a month-long tour. Puck's stout mare was certainly up to the challenge. "You like these rocky trails, don't you?" he asked as they rode, patting her muscular neck. 

The horse didn't answer, not that Puck expected her to. Unlike a dragon, a horse was simply exactly what it appeared to be. Puck liked that about horses, and humans.

Halfway through the mountains, a shadow fell across Puck and then disappeared just as quickly. He couldn't see much of the sky through the trees that lined the pass, but he suspected it was a dragon flying overhead. As far as Puck knew, dragons didn't regularly patrol their borders. They relied on their truce with Lima and their superior might to protect themselves from intruders.

Perhaps along with stealing princes, the dragons were no longer expecting Lima to honor its truces. Puck shuddered. The last war with the dragons had happened before he was born, before King William had been born, in fact. Still, everyone knew the stories. Dragons could kill hundreds of humans in a day. They had tough scales which could be pierced, but it took as much force as trying to get through plate armor.

Lima had been foolish to think its vastly larger numbers stood much of a chance against a country of dragons who not only held the high ground, but could pass for humans when they wished. Of course, when in human form, a dragon caught unawares was much more vulnerable than one wearing her scales.

Commander Beiste liked to tell the story of how her mother had assassinated several dragon spies. She always followed those stories with ones about her father losing his family to the jaws of a full-sized dragon soldier. "Losses on both sides were grave," Beiste always said. "That's why we honor our truce with the dragons. We keep to our side of the border and them to theirs and that's how it's always going to be."

Puck scoffed to himself. He was already several hours into the mountains, far past the border between Lima and Draconia. He wasn't foolish enough to wear his Lima insignia, but still. If anyone on this side of the border recognized him as a Lima soldier, his very presence violated the truce. The dragons could declare war.

If they hadn't wanted war in the first place, they wouldn't have kidnapped Finn.

A shadow passed overhead again and Puck pulled his horse to a halt. They had some cover under the trees, but Puck didn't want to draw the dragon's attention through motion. While he waited, shadows passed over Puck one right over the other. There were two dragons now?

Frowning, Puck dismounted and tied his horse to the tree they'd taken cover under. He patted her nose and said, "Don't worry, girl. I'm just gonna climb a little, see what's going on."

The horse snorted, pushing at Puck's hand. He rolled his eyes, but pulled an apple out of his bag and gave it to her, hoping it would keep her calm, despite the dragons flying overhead.

Leaving his horse, Puck went up the trail a few yards until he found a tree next to a clearing, which had a few branches low enough that he could swing up into them without too much trouble. As he climbed, Puck tried to get a glance of the dragons, but mostly he just saw flashes of color in the corners of his vision. 

Finally, near the top of the tree, the branches thinned out. Puck pulled one of them away and had a fairly good view of about half the sky, at least as far as the mountains rose on either side of the valley of the pass. There were two dragons flying around each other. 

One had yellowish, or maybe green scales. The other was blue. As far as Puck had read, scale color didn't mean much among dragons, but still he wondered if it mattered to them. 

The two dragons flew and at first Puck thought they were fighting, or maybe playing. The green dragon nipped at the other and then dove away, rolling onto it's back like it was laughing up at the other dragon, before rolling into a swoop back up toward the sky right before hitting the trees. The blue one chased for awhile, before catching up and nipping at the green one, taking its turn to fly away.

Puck thought maybe that looked like fun, if you'd been born a dragon. Puck never had a fear of heights like other people he knew. He'd always been one to climb up as high as he could and look down, thrilling at the distance between his feet and the ground. If he'd been born a dragon, with wings of his own, he wouldn't even need to climb to get that feeling.

Puck watched the dragons climb high up into the air, so high that he could barely see them. Maybe they'd flown on and it was safe to climb down to his horse. Puck started to let go of the branch he'd pulled to the side when he spotted them. The dragons were locked together, their necks and tails entangled, their wings spread and touching from wingtip to wingtip as they fell. 

Puck sucked in a breath, sure that the dragons were about to hit the ground together in some sort of mutual suicide pact. Just a few hundred feet above the treeline, the two dragons rolled apart, both catching the air with their wings and racing back up into the sky.

Confused, Puck watched as they left his field of vision, only to reappear locked together again.

That's when Puck realized what was going on. The two dragons were mating, rutting against each other as they fell. A sympathetic sort of flare of desire made Puck's cheeks heat up and his cock twitch. Disgusted with himself, Puck climbed down the tree as quickly as he dared, needing to escape the sight above him.

Puck didn't pay much attention to how he was climbing, until he came to the last branch and realized he was on the wrong side of the tree. He was a little far up to just hang down and jump, but getting back around to the other side meant climbing back up a few branches and Puck couldn't bring himself to do it.

Swinging down, Puck held onto the branch so his feet dangled below him. The brush underneath looked soft enough, and it wasn't that far down, so Puck let go. He expected to hit the ground half a second before he actually did, crashing through the brush and down below the level of the ground. He landed hard on one knee and one hand, cursing.

Pulling in the hand he'd landed on, Puck curled in on himself and looked up. He was in some sort of pit, which had smooth walls taller than he could reach. He stood and shook out his arm, fairly certain he hadn't broken anything, but still in pain. 

"Shit."

~*~

It took Kurt about a day to figure out the perfect gift for Finn. They'd been talking about Finn's love of music, and Kurt knew he had just the right gift sitting in the attic of his manor. He just had to dig it out and clean it up a bit. 

After dinner, Kurt held up a finger as Finn began to stand. "Wait a moment! Sit back down, please, Finn."

Compliant, but with a confused quirk of his brow, Finn sat back in his chair. Kurt hurried to one side of the room to pick up a package wrapped in a large piece of cloth. 

Kurt brought the package back to the table and set it in front of Finn. "Go ahead. Open it!"

Finn gave Kurt this look that was both excited and nervous. He reached out for the gift slowly, hesitating.

"I swear," Kurt said, holding up his hands. "It's nothing dangerous. It's just something I wanted you to have."

Looking at the gift askance, Finn reached for it, pulling the cloth away. His face relaxed when he saw the gift: a set of hand drums. "How did you know?"

Kurt wasn't quite sure what he knew that Finn didn't think he would, but he hazarded a guess. "Whenever you get nervous, you tap on whatever surface available." Kurt smirked. "Also, one of my servants heard from one of your servants that you used to play."

"Still do," Finn insisted, taking one of the drums and rubbing his hand over the surface before rapping it lightly. "What is this made out of? It doesn't look like sheepskin or cattle."

"It's dragon," Kurt replied, laughing when Finn dropped the drum onto the table and scooted back in his chair. "Relax. It's a shed skin. One of mine, actually."

"You shed your skin?" Finn's mouth parted as he looked to Kurt and then the drum, tentatively bringing his hand to the surface again. "I didn't know that about dragons."

"More often while we're young and still growing," Kurt replied, taking the chair next to Finn's and watching him trace the outer edge of the drum before giving it a few pats. The sound of the drum filled the small dining hall and the edge of Finn's lips drew up in a lopsided grin. "So you like them?"

Finn nodded before raising an eyebrow at Kurt. "Do I want to know what part of you this skin used to cover?"

Kurt laughed. "Don't worry. It's from my chest." Kurt brought a hand to his chest and placed it somewhat over his heart. "Right here, only in my dragon form."

"Can I see it?" Finn asked, pushing the drum aside and shifting closer to Kurt. "Your dragon form? I haven't gotten to see you up close, except for that night."

Kurt's cheeks flushed hotly at the mention. He couldn't say he was _proud_ of having kidnapped Finn, but he couldn't say he wouldn't do it again, given the choice. "Not indoors, but perhaps in the morning, after sunrise."

Finn smiled softly, his gaze drifting back to the drums. "I don't know how to thank you," Finn said. He leaned closer to Kurt. "Unless…"

Eyes dropping down to Kurt's mouth, Finn leaned in closer and pressed his lips to Kurt's. Surprised, it took Kurt half a moment to react, winding his arms around Finn's neck and kissing him back. 

Now that he had this opportunity, Kurt wasn't going to waste it. He pushed as much passion into the kiss as he possibly could, licking his tongue into Finn's mouth and raking his fingers up into Finn's hair. Finn took a satisfyingly sharp breath through his nose, which made Kurt's blood race. 

When Finn began to really return the kiss, pulling Kurt into his lap and nipping eagerly on Kurt's lower lip, Kurt grinned. This outcome was even better than he had expected. Giving Finn this gift was supposed to erase any ill will from Finn for Kurt taking him unexpectedly from home. Kurt didn't mean for it to be a lover's gift. The fact that it was turning out to be exactly a lover's gift gave Kurt hope. Hope that Finn might take Kurt's side in any quarrel with King William, and hope that Finn would accept an invitation to Kurt's bed.

Before Kurt could even think of extending that invitation, the dining room door opened, banging back against the wall like whoever had opened it took no care in where it swung. Alarmed, Kurt pulled his lips away from Finn's to face the intruder.

Instead of Artie or Tina, Kurt saw two other figures. One was Mercedes, and in Mercedes' grasp, her hand clutching the back of his jacket, Sir Puckerman. Mercedes rolled her eyes at Kurt, but Puckerman made a noise of protest, his eyes wide and his mouth dropped open.

Kurt thought he saw, not just surprise on Puckerman's face, but also a hint of anger when his eyes met Kurt's. Jealousy, Kurt thought, almost giddy on the notion of what he could do with such an emotion.

As he stood from Finn's lap, Kurt made his motion sensuous, pressing his hips against Finn's before he drew away, hand lingering on Finn's chest. For his part, Finn seemed to hesitate in shock. After Kurt had stood, Finn finally did something other than stare at his compatriot. "Puck! What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing?" Puckerman, _Puck_ , replied, lurching forward, but held back by Mercedes' strong fist. Kurt noticed that Puck's hands were bound together and Mercedes held what had to be a Lima-wrought sword in her other hand. "What are you doing with _him_?"

Finn jumped to his feet, putting several feet of distance between himself and Kurt. "Nothing!"

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. He'd been making such good progress getting in good with Finn. Now that Finn had a reminder of his homeland and his father's rules, there was no way Kurt was going to get Finn in his bed. Addressing Mercedes, Kurt asked, "Where did you find him?"

"One of my game traps out in the woods," Mercedes replied, shaking Puckerman until he looked rattled. "Took a stab at me with this." She held up the sword and threw it to the ground, letting it clatter away across Kurt's nice, finished hardwood floor.

Kurt frowned at her, but asked, "You're okay?"

"I was changed at the time." Mercedes pushed Puck in Kurt's direction. Puck stumbled, glaring back at Mercedes as he righted himself. "He managed to pierce my scales, but it was nothing changing back and a big meal won't fix."

Taking a long, cleansing breath, Kurt turned his attention to Finn. "Should I be expecting more of your countrymen in my woods? I'd rather not have one of them die on my property because they weren't aware of the dangers. I've already done enough that might start a war. I don't want to add to my list of misdeeds."

"I don't know," Finn replied, going to Puck and hesitantly touching Puck's shoulder. Puckerman allowed it, moving closer to Finn and glaring in turns at Kurt and Mercedes. "Puck?"

Puck sneered at the room in whole, though slightly less passionately at Finn. "I'm not saying anything."

Kurt sighed. "Well, then. I don't know whether you're friend or foe, now do I?"

"He's a friend." Finn frowned in Kurt's direction, which was no good at all. "I _promise_ he's a friend."

At Kurt's side, Mercedes' voice dropped low in warning. "Kurt."

Nodding at her to acknowledge the warning, Kurt patted Mercedes' arm to appease her obvious anger at being attacked. "Friend though he may be, I can't trust him around my people. For the next day or so, until I know he's not the first of many soldiers sent to attack my people, I have to keep him prisoner."

"No!" Puck cried, but Finn held him back by the shoulders.

"You're wrong about him." Finn gave Kurt a hard look for just a moment before letting it slide into a sigh. "But I understand. Promise me you'll keep him comfortable."

"I swear it," Kurt agreed, putting his hand back over his heart. "And I'll make sure you can visit him whenever you wish. After all, if I'm not mistaken, you and Sir Puckerman are very close."

"Very," Puck insisted, tugging against Finn's hold, but not breaking it.

Kurt sighed again. While he hadn't planned this whole debacle out with the utmost of care, Puckerman's arrival certainly complicated what plans he had. Plus, he'd be yet another Lima countryman he'd have to keep hidden from his sister and from any other guests who might deign to drop by once they found out Kurt's negotiations had failed.

Still, Puckerman certainly was entertaining, especially due to his jealousy over Finn. Kurt's victory getting Finn into his bed would be even sweeter with an invested audience.

~*~

As soon as Kurt's guards leave them, turning the lock on the bedroom-turned-prison-cell, Finn asked Puck, "What were you thinking?"

Puck frowned, kicking at the locked door once before leaving it to pace across the room and back. This room wasn't as nice as Finn's, and a bit smaller, but it was still much nicer than the dungeon in Lima castle. 

"Was thinking I knew exactly who took you." Puck curled his lip at the door, but sank down onto the bed gingerly. "I came to get you back."

Finn sighed and sat down next to Puck. "I didn't ask you to."

Puck snorted before digging around in one of his pockets. He held his closed fist out to Finn. 

Finn put his hand out, palm up, and Puck dropped something metallic into it. Finn brought the item closer and recognized it as the brooch Puck gave him. "Where did you find it?"

"On the keep wall," Puck replied, staring down at his hands in his lap. "Must've dropped when _he_ took you."

"He thought I was in danger." Finn hoped that would be the end of his explanation, but Puck's raised eyebrow said otherwise. "I was hiding from everyone, afraid of getting caught. It looked like I was in danger."

"Then why hasn't he brought you back?" Puck turned his head to meet Finn's eyes. "After you told him you were perfectly safe in Lima?"

Finn knew Puck wouldn't be happy about his decision to stay, despite Kurt's actual motivations, so Finn said, "I told Prince Kurt I wanted to stay here. With him."

The surprise on Puck's face was expected, but Finn didn't anticipate the hurt there. Maybe Finn could understand how Puck would think Finn abandoning Lima was a betrayal of some sort. Finn assured Puck, "It's not forever. Just until Father apologizes to Kurt."

Scoffing, Puck stood up and walked away from Finn. The room was only a few paces across, and Puck stopped at the narrow window, shaking his head. "Might as well say it's forever, if _that's_ what you're waiting for."

"The King needs me back eventually. I'm his heir," Finn said. Puck didn't turn back around. "I didn't mean to leave."

"Good intentions mean shit all, Finn." Puck turned to face Finn, his eyes fiery with anger. "And the King doesn't want you back. He's telling people you ran away, even though I knew you'd been taken."

"You did?"

Puck pointed to Finn's hand, where he still held the brooch. "I was hoping you wouldn't leave that behind on purpose. I was hoping you'd have at least _told_ me if you were fixing to run away."

Finn opened his hand and looked down at the brooch, turning it in his hands. The pin had come off the back and the brooch itself held a new dent on one edge. "If I'd been planning on running away, I would have told you."

"Good," Puck said, taking a few steps so he was standing in front of Finn. Puck bent down to put himself on eye level with Finn. "You know I would have come with you, right? Your Highness?"

Rolling his eyes and laughing because honorifics had always been for show between the two of them, not for in private, Finn shoved at Puck's shoulder. "I know."

Puck gave Finn a lopsided smile and sat back down beside him, leaning back on his elbows. The two of them fell into a moment of silence during which Finn debated whether or not he was going to bring up Kurt and what Puck had seen when he arrived.

The decision fell out of Finn's hands when Puck cleared his throat and said, "So, _dragons_ do it for you, huh?"

"No!" Finn scoffed, his cheeks heating up. He gave Puck a light shove. "I don't know. Maybe. At least one of them."

"A _male_ dragon."

Sighing, Finn said, "I don't know, Puck. I like him. Maybe I understand what you have with Sam better than I thought I did."

Puck shrugged, his face sullen. Finn hadn't thought Puck had this much of a dislike for dragons. King William, sure. Finn knew the king's feelings about dragons and his dislike of the fact that in order to survive and prosper, Lima had to trade with Draconia. Finn didn't think Puck cared about dragons too much one way or the other until recently.

As one moment of silence stretched into two – Puck clearly unwilling to elaborate on the conversation – Finn began to wonder about Puck's appearance here in Draconia. "How did you know about this place?"

"Read up on Prince Kurt when I heard he was coming to town."

Reviving a long-standing joke between them, Finn asked, "You can read?"

Puck punched Finn in the arm, harder than Finn expected him to.

"So you found out about this place. Is anyone else coming? You said Father made everyone think I'd run away?"

"Pretty sure Commander Beiste doesn't think so, but she's a rule-following woman," Puck said, licking his lips and then pulling on his lower lip with one hand. "Don't think they'll send any others. I sneaked out of the city at night."

"Huh. So no war for my honor?" Finn's disappointment surprised him. After all wasn't avoiding war a good thing?

Puck shrugged again, putting his elbow back down. "Far as I could tell, the King made it seem like you have no honor – telling everyone you ran away like that."

Finn frowned. He knew the King had been upset by Finn dancing with Kurt, but he didn't think it meant his father completely abandoning him in a foreign country without even sending word to see if Finn was still alive and healthy.

~*~

Puck woke in a strange bed, his hand curled around the scabbard that usually held his knife. That bitch of a dragon had taken it from him when she hauled him out of that animal trap and knocked him unconscious. Puck had to admit he felt surprised to be alive. When he saw that big, clawed hand reaching for him, he assumed he was as good as dead.

Dead might be marginally better than being trapped here in this farce of a guest room. The windows were too small to get more than a breath of fresh air, much less climb out them. The door was heavy and locked with a bolt Puck couldn't budge with the few tools he had at his disposal.

He had to admit, this wasn't what he expected to find when he came looking for Finn. Puck expected to find the Prince locked in a dungeon somewhere, or being forced to cater to a dragon's every will, not treated like an honored, _loved_ guest. As far as Puck could tell, Finn had free run of the place.

Not that Finn had used it to free Puck from this room. Puck would have thought that being a man's closest friend for over half his life would have bought at least an attempt at Puck's freedom. Instead, Puck sat alone in this locked room all night, waiting bleary-eyed for the morning to come.

Sometime before he drifted of to sleep for a few hours, it occurred to Puck that he hadn't had a chance to tell anyone about his horse, who was probably still tied to a tree in the middle of the forest. Shit. He hoped she hadn't been set upon by wolves. Or worse – dragons.

The key sliding into the lock was all the warning Puck had before his door unlocked and Prince Kurt himself entered the room. He carried a tray of what looked like food and met Puck with a wry smile. "Sir Puckerman."

"Your Highness," Puck replied with a nod, but without standing from the bed as manners dictated. Prince Kurt didn't mention the slight, but a sharp jump of his eyebrow told Puck that Kurt noticed it. "If you're going to keep me cooped up in this room, the least you could do is empty the chamber pot before I have to eat."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but called into the hallway. "Artie? Would you mind taking care of that for us?"

Artie was an adolescent, or maybe he was just short. Puck had a hard time telling. In either case, Artie shuffled into the room, took the chamber pot, and left. Puck tilted his head at the boy's uneven gait.

Puck tried to resist the food Kurt brought him, but the breakfast meat looked so much more appetizing than the dried jerky he'd brought with him on his trek to Draconia that he couldn't help but reach out and grab the plate Kurt offered. After chewing a few bites, trying to hide his ravenousness, Puck asked, "He fell from your _back_ when you were kids? How could that shatter someone's foot?"

Looking down, his cheeks going pink, Kurt said, "I was in my other form, and about fifteen feet off the ground."

It took Puck a moment to realize what Kurt was implying. "He was riding on your back? Gods above, he's lucky he didn't _die_!"

Kurt gave Puck a confused look. "You've never heard of the Dragonback races?"

Shaking his head, Puck imagined people riding on dragons, so far up in the air that you could barely see them from the ground. He set his plate down on the tray. "Dragons actually let people ride on their backs?"

"Some of us," Kurt replied, the tip of his tongue between his teeth. He looked Puck up and down. "Others of us like it when people ride on our–" Puck held up a hand, unable to help himself from picturing himself straddling Kurt's hips and lowering down onto his cock. Puck's own cock twitched at the suggestion, even though his stomach turned. "I get it. I get it." Smirking, Kurt wrapped his hands around the knee crossed over the other, pulling back on it lightly. He looked pleased with himself, which made Puck frown. Kurt nodded down to Puck's plate. "You should probably eat that while it's hot. Tina usually makes cold food for luncheon, so you won't have another hot meal until sunset."

Shrugging, Puck picked up the plate again. He thought about wondering aloud why Kurt would treat his prisoners so well, but Puck suspected it had more to do with making Finn think Kurt was kind, than the dragon feeling any sort of kindness of his own.

As Puck ate, Kurt asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Fine." Puck finished chewing and then leaned back, taking an assessing look at Kurt. He supposed he could understand why Finn found him attractive. For a monster, Prince Kurt had a very delicate look in his human form. High cheekbones, wide eyes and mouth, slightly pointed ears, upturned nose, pretty blush, all things Finn had admitted to finding attractive, when he'd spoken to Puck about women. 

How was Puck going to convince Finn that becoming a dragon's lover wasn't a solid plan for the future? Finn was meant to be king, but if he stayed here, King William was bound to have a new heir with his new wife, and Finn would never get to be the kind of King Lima deserved, rather than the one they currently had.

How was Puck going to convince Finn to love him instead of Kurt?

Why didn't Finn love him? Puck was _human_ , and had been Finn's closest friend for years. If men were no longer impossible targets for Finn's affections, why wouldn't those affections turn toward Puck, who'd been there for Finn through everything since they were seven years old? It wasn't fair.

"It's _not_ fair." The words slipped out of Puck's mouth unbidden, and he looked up at Kurt to see if they'd been overheard.

They had. "What's not fair?"

Thinking quickly, Puck said, "That Finn gets free reign of the house and I'm locked in this one little room."

"Finn didn't attack one of my people with his sword."

"Bullshit," Puck cried, not caring to watch his language in front of the prince. "I found the scale Finn pried from your leg with his dagger."

"Maybe I like him better than I like you." Kurt raised one eyebrow and held Puck's gaze with his own. "You're not a prince, Sir Puckerman. Finn deserves the quarters of a prince, not those of a stable boy."

Sure that they weren't talking about quarters so much as their owners and which of their owners was worthy of _Finn_ , Puck cried, "I'm no stable boy!" Puck set his plate down again and leapt off the bed. "I might not have been born a prince, but I've made something of myself. I'm a _knight_!"

"You think just because you can swing a sword, that makes you worthy of a prince?" Kurt stood, shaking his head with a chuckle. "My dear Sir Puckerman," Kurt leaned closer to Puck, lowering his voice to a whisper, "how long have you wanted to have him?"

"I–" Puck backed away from Kurt, unwilling to admit his feelings out loud. His back hit the wall and Kurt still pressed forward, leaning his lips close to Puck's ear. Puck held up his hands, ready to push Kurt away if given cause, even if it meant drawing the anger of a monster who could show his claws and rip Puck's throat out if he wanted to.

Still whispering, Kurt asked, "How long have you wanted his cock in your mouth? How long have you wanted him to take you? How long have you wanted to prove how much you love him by letting him do anything and everything he wanted to your body? How long, Sir Puckerman?"

Puck shivered, each word hitting him like a blow, making him both angry that someone had figured him out, and aroused. His head spinning and confused, Puck grabbed the lapels of Kurt's jacket, intent on pushing him away. Puck's eyes caught Kurt's for a split second and he recognized the passion in Kurt's expression. 

Without one second passing between thought and execution, Puck pulled Kurt to him and pressed their lips together. 

Kurt made a shocked noise in his throat before his hands landed on either side of Puck's head and he returned the kiss. Kurt's lips pushed against Pucks, at once strong and delicate. The contact made Puck's blood boil and the hairs on his neck and scalp stand on end, tingling. His feet felt frozen and his hands clumsy, but mostly Puck felt the way the kiss broke and then reformed, wetter as Kurt licked across his lips.

Aroused as Kurt pressed against him from chest to thigh, Puck's breath stuttered through his nose. His heart raced.

The temptation to rock his hips against Kurt, to fumble at their clothes until skin met skin was strong, but before Puck gave in, he realized what he was doing. Kurt wasn't just any man. He was a dragon, a prince, and he was _Finn's_.

Gasping, Puck pushed Kurt away with a mighty shove. Kurt stumbled away, but quickly regained his footing. "Get away from me!"

Kurt wiped his lips with one thumb. "Darling, you're the one who kissed me."

" _Don't_ call me that! Just go!" Puck pushed himself away from the wall, standing at his full height, which was regretfully not any taller than Kurt. "Get out!"

Kurt held up his hands, eyes darting toward the door as Artie returned, a clean chamber pot in his hands. "Fine. I'll go. I'll say hello to Finn for you." Kurt smirked and Puck clenched his fists, doing everything in his power to restrain himself from punching the bastard. Kurt turned on a heel and left the room, Artie right behind him, pulling the door shut.

The lock clunked back into place and Puck let go of the breath he'd been holding. He collapsed back onto the bed, anger dissolving away into confusion. How the hell had Puck let that happen? 

~*~

"Finn?" 

At the sound of Kurt's voice, Finn looked up from the book he'd been reading. He held it up so Kurt could see it. "I've been learning a lot about Draconia!"

Finding himself fond of Finn's excitement, Kurt smiled and stepped into the library. He sat down in the armchair next to Finn's and leaned toward him. "Those are closely-guarded secrets, Prince Finn. Next time we negotiate, I'm bound to be at a disadvantage."

Finn laughed and closed the book, setting it down on the end table between them. "Is Puck alright? Can I see him?"

Kurt thought Finn's concern for his friend was even more endearing, but it also concerned him. How would Finn react when he found out Kurt had kissed Puck? Mostly, Kurt found it fun teasing Puck about his obvious feelings for Finn. He hadn't expected it to turn into anything more than a bit of flirty teasing. Instead, he'd been grabbed and kissed and Kurt couldn't help but kiss back, when Puck was so skilled.

Would Finn be upset? Jealous? Angered? Saddened?

Well, reactions could often be controlled, when the cause was presented in the proper light. Kurt just had to get ahead of the situation. He had to be the one to tell Finn about the kiss, to make sure his version of the story was the first one Finn heard, and thus the one he was more willing to believe. If he let Puck break the news, there was no telling how Puckerman would twist the situation around.

Kurt just had to decide how to frame the kiss. If Kurt painted Puck as the sole aggressor, as a villain, there was no way Finn would believe him. Puck was Finn's good friend, perhaps even his closest friend, if Kurt wasn't mistaken. No, the only way to break that bond was to make the two of them break it themselves, if temporarily. Kurt had to paint Puck as a competitor for Kurt's affections. It was the only way to keep Finn on Kurt's side. Kurt smiled, keeping his eyes wide, and a little sad. "Puck is fine, and of course you can see him."

Finn began to rise, but Kurt stopped him with a hand on Finn's wrist.

"I have to tell you something." Kurt made sure to make his voice breathy, in an embarrassed and contrite, trustworthy way. 

Brows furrowed, Finn sat back down, placing his hand over Kurt's. "Is everything okay? Did your father find out?"

"Probably," Kurt said with a shrug. "I don't know. I just, I–" Kurt cut himself off, looking away like he was trying to think of the words. "Please don't be mad at me."

Finn's hand moved from Kurt's hand up to Kurt's cheek. Good. The gesture, plus the concern written on Finn's face, reassured Kurt that he was on the right track with his approach. "What happened? Why would I be mad?"

"I… Well, I kissed Sir Puckerman." Kurt let out hard breath, like he was relieved to confess. "We kissed each other, I mean."

"You…" Finn drew back, looking more confused than angry.

Kurt nodded at Finn's unvoiced question. "We were talking and, well, he's _very_ handsome. And skilled. Have you ever kissed him?"

"Puck? No! No, I haven't." Finn sat back in his chair, his arm slipping from Kurt's fingers.

"Oh." Kurt grinned widely at Finn, patting Finn's bouncing knee before sitting back himself. "You're missing out. He seems...very _practiced._ Talented. I think he likes me."

Nodding, Finn dug his fingertips into his knees. Kurt would take that as a sign that he was getting jealous, right where Kurt wanted him, but the expression on Finn's face didn't so much portray jealousy as sadness. "He's had a lot of practice. I'm sure he's much more on your level than I am."

"I wouldn't say that." Kurt chuckled, but cut himself off when Finn stood up. "Where are you going?"

Finn didn't turn around to look at Kurt, which was a very bad sign, indeed. "I'm happy for you two." If anything, Finn sounded depressed, not joyful.

Where was the anger? Where was the passion and jealousy? Didn't Finn like Kurt? The kisses he'd given Kurt after Kurt presented him with the drum had felt like the kisses of someone enamored, not someone poised to give up at the first hint of competition.

Before Kurt could ask Finn what he was thinking, Finn said, "Don't worry, I can still help arrange a truce between my father and yours. It turns out my father doesn't really want me either, so he's not too upset that I've gone."

Kurt sucked in a breath through his teeth. Ancestors almighty, had he misread the situation. He would've been better off bribing Puckerman to leave without mentioning the kiss to Finn. Now Finn thought Kurt didn't want him? If anything, Kurt wanted Finn more than he'd wanted any one person in his life.

Before Kurt could say this to Finn out loud, Finn left the library, leaving Kurt sitting in his chair, gaping like a fish. 

To himself, Kurt muttered. "Well, that went well."

~*~

Finn gets Artie to unlock Puck's door for him, not really wanting to talk to Kurt at the moment. He really thought he and Kurt had something important. Instead, as soon as Puck arrived, Kurt fell in love with him instead. Finn wasn't surprised. Many of the girls at court had been with Puck, despite their fathers' wishes.

Sure, Finn got his share of attention from women, but everyone knew he was promised to Lady Quinn, so they didn't seek him out the way they did with Puck. Of course Kurt would be the same way. Kurt knew Finn would have to go back to Lima eventually. Of course he'd rather fall in with Puck, who had ties to Lima, but not nearly as many as Finn did.

As soon as Finn walked into the room, he held up his hand to keep Puck from talking. Puck froze, his mouth already open. 

"You can have Kurt," Finn said, lowering his hand. "I'm happy for you."

Puck raised one eyebrow. "What?"

"Kurt told me that you two kissed. He said there was, well, a lot of _passion_." Finn smiled sadly before looking down and turning toward the door. There wasn't anything else to say, now was there?

Puck jumped up, grabbing Finn's shoulder and stopping him. "I don't want Kurt."

Finn turned back, frowning. "But…"

"I'm sorry I kissed him, alright? It was an accident." Puck nodded once, as if to punctuate his sincerity. 

Finn looked at his friend, and found himself almost wanting to see some hint of betrayal there, of intent to harm. He found none. Confused, Finn asked, "How can you accidentally kiss someone?"

Puck turned away, rolling his eyes and making a distressed noise. "I don't know. It happens. He was in my face, saying all this stuff, and–"

"What stuff?" Finn crossed his arms, wondering what Kurt could possibly have said to make Puck kiss him.

Puck blushed, the tips of his ears turning dark. "I don't know. _Stuff_. Look, I don't have feelings for Kurt. Yeah, okay. Maybe I can see why you think he's hot, but he's a _dragon_ , Finn."

Finn didn't like the way Puck spoke about Kurt, but mostly he felt relieved.

"Look," Puck stepped closer to Finn, looking up at him. "I only love one person, okay?"

For a moment, Finn almost asked who, but then it struck him as obvious. Puck loved Sam. He probably wanted to get back to him soon, which made Finn feel bad about not trying harder to get Kurt to bring him home. As much as Finn liked having Puck here, having a little bit of home with him in this foreign place, Finn couldn't keep Puck from the man he loved.

"I'm going to ask Kurt to let you go. You should go home."

Puck's face fell and he took a step back. "Okay, I get it, but I don't care. I'm not going anywhere without you."

Finn wasn't sure he understood Puck's meaning, but he wasn't quite sure what questions to ask, either. Instead, he said, "I'm still asking Kurt to let you go. You'll have to promise you won't run back to Lima. If anyone finds out I'm here, Kurt will be in big trouble."

"Maybe he should have thought of that before he kidnapped you." Puck crossed his arms over his chest and tipped up his chin.

"Puck. Don't be stubborn about this." Finn took half a step toward Puck, holding Puck's gaze in his own steadily. "Promise you'll stay here with us."

Puck froze for a long moment before loudly letting go of a breath he'd been holding. "Fine. I promise."

Sighing in relief, Finn moved forward and pulled Puck into an embrace. "Thank you."

Puck hugged Finn in return, holding on tightly, and for longer than Finn expected him to. Being locked up must have affected Puck more than he was letting on. He never did like being cooped up inside, especially when they were kids together. Puck even got banned from the castle for a week one winter after convincing Finn to haul him up in a candelabra so he could reach a toy he'd thrown up in the rafters.

"Don't worry, Puck. I'll get you out of here soon."

"From your lips to the gods' ears," Puck murmured, letting Finn go finally. "And Finn?"

"Yes?"

"Tell Kurt never to kiss me again. Ever." Puck's eyes locked on Finn's until Finn warily nodded.

"Okay. I'll tell him." Finn gave Puck one last smile and a wave before leaving Puck alone again. 

Finn was sure he could convince Kurt to let Puck out. He'd had almost a full day to calm down. While Finn couldn't in good conscious say that Puck was harmless, at least Finn could promise to keep an eye on him and order him to stay in line.

If Puck chose to disregard those orders (which he sometimes did, even when Commander Beiste gave them), well, Finn couldn't be held responsible for that.

~*~

Puck spent the rest of the afternoon pacing his room. Finn didn't want him. Puck had known this for a long time, but he always assumed it was because Finn was exclusively attracted to women. That wasn't it at all. Finn liked Kurt, wanted Kurt, but he didn't want Puck.

The rejection stung more than Puck expected it to. 

Finn _knew_ that Puck loved him, and he still didn't want Puck. 

It took every ounce of Puck's will not to curl up in a corner of his prison and cry his eyes out, but no. Puck wouldn't give Finn the damn satisfaction of seeing him red-eyed and heartbroken. Puck had been hiding his feelings for Finn for _years_. He could keep hiding them as long as he was alive, as far as Puck was concerned.

Finn didn't love Puck back. That didn't mean Puck was about to _abandon_ Finn here alone in Draconia. Finn was too good a person to deserve that. What if Kurt didn't really have feelings for Finn? What if he was playing Finn, kidnapping him and then making him think he wasn't a victim in the situation. What if Kurt sent a message demanding ransom from King William?

Puck had to stay here, even if Kurt never let him out of this room. Finn needed to know that Puck was here for him, in whatever capacity he was able.

A knock at the door startled Puck out of his thoughts. After the knock, the sound of the key turning in the lock echoed through Puck's room. Puck stood, expecting Kurt or maybe Finn on the other side of the door. Instead, it was Kurt's servant, Artie. "Hello, Sir Puckerman."

"Hi," Puck said in reply, giving Artie a questioning look. "Just here for the chamber pot?"

"Oh, no, Sir." Artie took a bundle of clothes from behind his back and held it out to Puck. "These are for you. You're to dress for dinner in the dining hall."

"So Finn managed to convince your boss to let me go." Puck grabbed the clothes, finding them made of nice materials. He hoped they'd fit alright. Puck noticed that while he was of a height with Kurt, he was built a little thicker, especially for how tight Kurt liked to wear his clothes. 

"I don't know about that, Sir. I know you're being allowed down to dinner."

Puck shook out the bundle and saw the shirt looked like it might fit correctly. He wondered where Kurt got it on such short notice. Looking over his shoulder at where Artie stood in the doorway, Puck asked, "What's to stop me from knocking you out and escaping?"

"We're surrounded by dark, forested mountains." Artie scratched the bridge of his nose with one finger. "Only an idiot would leave the estate at this time of day."

Puck grunted in agreement. He was about to dismiss Artie so he could get dressed in private, as much as he wanted the door to his room never to close again, but Puck noticed the way Artie kept most of his weight on one leg. The sight reminded him of the story Kurt told about how the injury happened. "Was it worth it?" Puck pointed to Artie's lame foot. "Was the injury worth getting up in the air?"

A bright grin spread across Artie's face as he looked down at his foot. "Completely worth it, Sir."

Nodding with an impressed frown, Puck waved Artie away. "Thanks for the clothes."

After dressing in a shirt and waistcoat that fit fairly well, but trousers which were too tight, Puck followed Artie to the dining hall. Finn and Kurt were already seated, along with the dragon who'd captured Puck. 

_Shit._

How was Puck supposed to eat with Kurt, much less the other dragon? The last time he'd seen her, she'd almost taken his head off. Puck's stomach roiled and his appetite vanished. 

Kurt noticed him then, standing up and saying, "Oh, good. We're all here! Sir Puckerman, I'd like you to formally meet Lady Mercedes, Duchess of Jonesland."

"Cozy dinner party, Your Highness," Puck managed to say, giving Finn a wry look. "Where do I sit?"

Kurt pointed across the table from himself. "Next to Finn, if you please."

Puck noticed that even though everyone was dressed somewhat formally, Kurt had failed to call Finn "Prince." The mixed signals meant Puck had no idea how to act. Was this a formal estate dinner, or a casual affair with fancy dress? Having grown up the son of a maid, Puck had enough trouble remembering all the rules of etiquette in normal situation. How was he supposed to cope here?

Maybe he was meant to fail, in order to embarrass himself? Or embarrass Finn for daring to ask for Puck's freedom? Puck had learned at a young age that no courtier was too nice or too wise to use constructed social situations for petty revenge.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Puck said, taking the seat next to Finn's as soon as Kurt sat down again. 

Mercedes sat next to Kurt, across the table from Finn. She gave Puck a cool look, her gaze sliding away from him as soon as Puck found it with his own. See, Puck understood this. The cold shoulder. Puck's mother could do it with the best of them, so it didn't bother him.

Puck wasn't really paying attention as Kurt drew Mercedes into a discussion about the food when Finn leaned toward him. "Thanks for coming."

"Did I have a choice?" Puck smirked at Finn to show that he was mostly kidding. "Thanks for convincing Kurt to let me go."

"Hey, what are a few favors among friends?" Finn shrugged and turned back to the table, where Artie and Tina were starting to place serving dishes. 

At home, whenever Puck ate with Finn at court, the servants brought plates that had already been prepared. Serving dishes never left the kitchen. Of course, when he cooked for himself in the barracks or even ate in the kitchen with some of the other soldiers, Puck often served himself from communal dishes or even ate right out of the cooking pot. Serving himself at a table set with fine linens and crystal goblets was a new experience.

Looking across the table, Puck saw Kurt and even Lady Mercedes "So, Sir Puckerman," Kurt said, gaining Puck's attention. "Finn tells us you're somewhat of a musician?"

Puck frowned over at Finn. "Sometimes." 

"You play lute?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Puck fumbled the spoon he was holding, dropping it against the side of the porcelain serving dish. Wincing at the noise it made, Puck continued. "I play a few instruments."

Kurt clapped his hands a few times. "Oh, good. I say, after dinner we–"

"No." Mercedes interrupted Kurt, putting her hand directly to his mouth. "As much as I love to sing, we are _not_ forming an impromptu ensemble right after dinner, Kurt! I mean, really. We don't even have an audience!"

"Better that way," Kurt insisted. "If we were performing for an audience, I would have insisted on practicing as a group until we got it right!"

"So, Lady Mercedes singing, me on flute, what would you two do, Your Highness?" Puck pointed to Kurt first, and then Finn.

"I sing as well," Kurt said. "And, Finn! You can play those new drums I gave you!"

Puck looked over at Finn, who grinned and blushed. Puck had heard nothing about Kurt giving Finn a set of drums. Why hadn't Puck ever thought of that? He'd given Finn all sorts of things over the years (and received things in return), but never had thought of getting Finn drums. He had all sorts of fancy ones from far off places in Lima Castle, but to have a set here as well must have made Finn very happy indeed.

The fact that Kurt would think to give Finn drums, without even knowing Finn for that long, impressed Puck. He silently told himself to remember to ask Finn about it later, to determine whether or not Finn had asked for them. If he hadn't, Puck had a newfound respect for Kurt.

Even if he _had_ kidnapped Puck's prince.

~*~

After that dinner with Finn and the dragons, Puck was given a new room and free reign of most of the estate. There weren’t many guards, which Puck found unusual, but he figured with dragons around all the time, the humans living in Draconia didn’t need as many guards to keep them safe. The guards who did work at the estate mostly kept Puck from going anywhere near the horses.

“Why can’t I just _see_ the horses?” Puck asked, staring up at the guard, who was as tall as Finn, but much wider and frankly, pretty intimidating. "Artie said you found my horse in the woods. Can't I just check on her?"

“Prince Kurt’s orders,” the guard said in reply, giving Puck a polite, if amused, smile. “If it makes you feel any better, Prince Finn isn’t allowed to see the horses either.”

“It doesn’t.” Puck walked away from the pasture attached to the horse stable, pouting.

Later that afternoon, Puck went to the kitchens, so he could see how readily available other supplies were. Tina wouldn’t let him into the room, slapping at him with a wooden spoon. “No! You’re supposed to wait until meal times.”

“What if I’m hungry now?” Puck asked, shaking out the sting from where her spoon hit his hand.

Tina frowned, shaking the spoon at him again. “Then you should have thought of that before you trespassed on Prince Kurt’s property.”

Clenching his jaw, Puck thought about threatening the cook into telling him what he wanted to know, but he figured if anything happened to her, he’d be locked back in his room. Worse yet, Prince Kurt might actually let his friend, Lady Mercedes, _eat_ him!

“Tyrant,” Puck said as a parting jab, just barely escaping another whack with the spoon.

Pride hurt and hopes of getting the supplies he needed to just _steal_ Finn back to Lima crushed, Puck wandered out of the house and into the gardens. Mostly the house was surrounded by the estate farm, but there was a large ornamental garden on one side of the house, next to the vegetable garden.

It was as good a place as any to while away the hours until he was allowed to eat again. Puck had no idea where Finn was, otherwise he might seek him out. Unfortunately the bastard had escaped after lunch, disappearing when Puck needed to use the commode.

Puck walked through the maze-like garden, walled in by the hedges in a way that Puck figured was supposed to be calming, but just made him feel like those hedges might close in on him at any moment. The maze was too small to get lost in for very long, but Puck did a good job of it the same. 

As he rounded one corner, Puck stopped short, noticing that he wasn’t alone in the maze. At the end of one of the lanes sat a stone bench, and sitting on the bench were Finn and Prince Kurt. At least, it looked like them. It was hard to tell because they shared an all-encompassing embrace, their faces mashed together. Hands roamed over backs and legs and small gasps of pleasure floated on the air.

Puck’s whole body went tense, from the clench of his jaw down to the curling of his toes in his boots. Of all the sights Puck did not want to see, this was near the top of the list. Puck wanted to go over there and pummel Prince Kurt’s stupid face in with his fists, because Finn was _his_.

Sure, Finn had been betrothed to Lady Quinn for years, and he’d had other lovers in the meantime, but all of them had been women. None of them had been men who could’ve just as easily been Puck.

That _should_ be Puck there in Finn’s lap, kissing Finn, digging his fingers into the flesh of Finn’s back. Puck had put in so much more time with Finn. Puck knew – or thought he knew – everything about Finn. Why should Kurt reap the rewards that should have been Puck’s?

Still, as much as Puck wanted to stalk over there and rip the two of them apart, he didn’t. First of all, he didn’t want Finn to hate him, and second of all, Puck didn’t want Kurt to kill him. 

Puck felt on the edge of a dangerous balancing act, with his unrequited feelings for Finn on one side and his self-preservation on the other side. He didn’t know which would break first. Puck had dealt with his feelings for Finn for _years_ without breaking. Could he really keep doing it while Finn carried on with a man who wasn’t him?

Even as his heart broke, Puck felt himself grow aroused at the sight, his body imagining what it must feel like not just to be Kurt in Finn’s lap, but to be Finn with Kurt on his lap, rolling his hips like that.

Disgusted with himself, Puck turned as silently as he could and crept away, until he was far enough he was sure they wouldn’t hear his footsteps. At that point, Puck hurried up, jogging out of the gardens and then sprinting down the road away from the manor house and toward the woods.

~*~

“Are you sure,” Finn said, gasping for breath, “we should be doing this out here?”

Kurt shrugged and opened another button on Finn’s shirt, rocking his hips down against Finn’s as he worked. Pleasure sparked through Finn’s body and suddenly he didn’t really care about Kurt’s answer. “Hardly anyone ever comes out here except the gardener, and I gave her the day off.”

“Okay, good.” Finn used his hold on Kurt’s hips to draw them in closer, thrusting his own up against Kurt. “I wish it was warm enough to take off all our clothes. Your skin is so perfect.”

Kurt blushed, especially around his neck and down his chest. “Would you like to continue this in my chambers?”

The thought of parting from Kurt, even for the few minutes it would take to get to Kurt’s bed, all but broke Finn’s heart. He shook his head vigorously and sealed his lips over Kurt’s again.

Finn never imagined he’d like doing this with a man just as much as he liked it with women. He wasn’t quite sure what to do after clothes were removed from the equation, but so far his instincts hadn’t failed him. Still, the intensity of his desire for Kurt rivaled any he’d felt for any of his previous lovers. It all but overwhelmed him.

“I’m almost there.” Finn panted, pressing a hard kiss to the side of Kurt’s neck as he thrust up again and again, chasing his release.

“Wait,” Kurt said, pushing away from Finn right as he was about to come.

Finn made a distressed noise, his cock throbbing painfully at the sudden lack of friction. “Kurt!”

Dropping to his knees between Finn’s thighs, Kurt smiled up at Finn and finished the job of unlacing Finn’s trousers. “Wouldn’t want you to make a mess of your clothes, now would we?”

Finn had heard of people using their mouths during intimate moments – he was friends with Puck, after all – but he’d never had it done to him before. The thought made Finn’s mouth water. “Oh, gods. Please!”

Kurt barely got his lips closed around the head of Finn’s cock before Finn came. He groaned, curling in on himself and over Kurt’s head, clutching at the hair near the nape of Kurt’s neck. 

In his lap, Kurt made a series of short noises, the sound vibrating Finn’s cock and sending aftershocks throughout Finn’s body. Kurt gave a longer noise and then pulled back, panting and smiling as he looked up at Finn. Finn saw that Kurt had his own cock in his hand, his seed spilled on the ground under the bench. “Good?” Kurt asked, tucking himself away and standing.

“The best,” Finn said in agreement, dressing himself somewhat before pulling Kurt back down onto his lap. “I want to do that every day.” He nipped at Kurt’s ear, which made Kurt giggle. Finn found it an endearing noise coming from a dragon. “Every day from now until I _die_!”

Kurt laughed loudly this time, throwing his arms around Finn’s shoulders and squeezing him tightly. As he pulled back, a dark look crossed his face for just a second before it disappeared.

“What?” Finn asked, brushing Kurt’s cheek with one of his thumbs.

Shaking his head, Kurt looked down at his hands for a moment. Finn got this sinking feeling. What if Kurt didn’t like Finn as much as Finn liked Kurt? What if now that Kurt knew what Finn was like intimately, he never wanted to get that close to Finn again? 

“Was I bad?”

“No!” Kurt cried, meeting Finn’s eyes and shaking his head strongly. “You were perfect, Finn. I just– You know I’m not human, right? You haven’t forgotten it?”

Confused, Finn shook his head. “No. I haven’t forgotten.”

“I love you, Finn, but I won’t ever be…” Kurt sighed, looking off into the distance. “I won’t ever marry you.”

“Oh. Right.” Finn had to admit that he had forgotten Kurt was different. Dragons didn’t marry. “I suppose you’re used to having other lovers.”

“Yes.” Kurt shifted his weight in Finn’s lap, but he didn’t leave like Finn expected him to. “I admit, I would love to keep doing that, and everything else, as long as you’ll have me. That doesn’t mean I’ll bind myself _just_ to you.”

“I know.” Finn took a deep breath and let it go. He might want to keep Kurt close to him, make sure he was the only one in Kurt’s heart, but Finn couldn’t ask Kurt to change for him. Finn wouldn’t. “It’s okay. I’ll live.”

Nodding, Kurt kept his gaze far off for a few more seconds. Then he took a sharp breath and turned, meeting Finn’s eyes. “You could have other lovers too. Did you leave anyone behind in Lima? I could ask them to come here for you.”

Briefly, Finn thought of Rachel, or even Quinn, but he knew neither of them would want to leave Lima, much less share him with Kurt. Rachel already had problems accepting the fact that Finn wasn’t going to marry her instead of Quinn. All Quinn wanted from Finn, as far as he could tell, was his title, but she didn’t strike Finn as the kind of Queen to suffer her husband’s mistresses, much less a male lover who was also a dragon.

Finn shook his head. “No. There’s no one.”

“That’s a shame,” Kurt said, tracing his thumb over Finn’s lower lip. The touch made Finn’s whole body shudder. “People should be lining up to have a taste of you, my darling.”

Finn smiled at the fondness in Kurt’s voice, and thought maybe he should look around some for another lover. After all, if Kurt was going to take them, Finn should as well, to keep things fair. He didn’t really know any of Kurt’s people. The only person here that Finn really _knew_ was Puck. However, Puck was in love with Sam and Finn knew Puck liked to play around with different lovers, but being in love with someone was serious business to Puck. He wouldn’t betray Sam that way. Finn was sure of it.

Finn kissed Kurt again, softly and slowly, satisfied when Kurt still had his eyes closed as Finn drew back. When they fluttered open, Finn told Kurt, “Don’t worry. I won’t get hurt. I’ll remember who you are.”

“Good,” Kurt clapped Finn’s shoulders twice before pushing away and getting to his feet. “I received a letter this morning, requesting my presence in the capitol immediately. I wouldn’t want you to languish in my absence.”

“You’re in trouble?” Finn asked, allowing Kurt to help him to his feet.

Kurt did up the buttons of Finn’s shirt, saying, “Probably. Don’t worry. I won’t tell them where you’ve gone.”

“Your father would make me go back home without getting my father’s apology, wouldn’t he?” Finn turned right the collar on Kurt’s jacket.

“Undoubtedly. He’d probably keep us from seeing each other for a good long time as well.” Kurt sighed. “I’ll be back within a few days, I hope.”

Finn bent down to place another kiss on Kurt’s lips. He just couldn’t get enough of Kurt’s mouth. “I’ll miss you.”

Smiling, Kurt took something from his jacket pocket and pressed it into Finn’s hands. “This is the key to the stables. I’ll tell the guards not to keep you from the horses anymore.”

Heavy in his hand, the key was large and iron, almost like the keys they used in the dungeons of Lima Castle. “What’s to stop me from taking a horse and riding all the way home?”

“I trust you.” Kurt folded both of his hands around Finn’s and the key. “If you leave, I’ll understand, but I can’t in good conscience keep you here against your will any longer. I love you, Finn.”

Finn knew it was right as he returned the sentiment. “I love you, too.”

~*~

It took Kurt some time to fly to the capitol, during which time he needed to stop to feed and rest twice. Still, he left his manor early in the morning, Finn still asleep in Kurt’s bed, and made it to the capitol palace before sunset. It was the fastest he’d ever flown the journey. Kurt figured his speed was due to his anxiousness to get this business with his father over with so he could return to Finn.

Of all the lovers Kurt had ever had, he had to admit he loved Finn more quickly and more thoroughly than any of them. Finn felt special to him, and Kurt couldn’t pinpoint why. Perhaps it was just the novelty of having a lover from Lima, and Kurt would eventually tire of Finn. Kurt suspected that wasn’t the case. It was hard to say for sure, but Kurt suspected he was capable of loving Finn for _years_. Decades, even. He’d never been with one lover longer than a few months straight.

The prospect of being Finn’s lover for a lifetime terrified Kurt. The stakes were so much higher when losing someone you loved meant losing _years_ of your time with them, not just weeks. What would happen when Finn aged more quickly than Kurt? Kurt would still be in the prime of his life while Finn’s was ending.

Kurt knew if his father ever found out about this, he would give Kurt a lecture the likes of which he’d never gotten before. He doubted King Burt would actually forbid the relationship, but he would probably very strongly discourage Kurt from continuing it.

How could Kurt cut things off? How could Kurt live, knowing Finn existed in the world, without wanting to be near him?

Frightened into anxiousness, Kurt landed in the open space outside the castle. He shifted as quickly as he could without passing out from the pain of doing it too quickly, and hurried into the castle. The guards greeted him with a salute and Kurt saw a page run off, probably to fetch the King.

Kurt proceeded directly to his father’s study, not wanting to have this conversation in a place where just anyone could overhear it, like in the towering throne room. When Kurt got to the study, he found his sister already there. She stood next to one of the bookcases, her fingers playing over the spines of the books, caressing them casually, like she’d been here for an hour, trying to find just the right volume.

The sheen of hurried sweat on her brow gave her away.

“Santana,” Kurt said by way of greeting. “It’s good to see you again, sister.”

Santana smiled, her teeth bright and almost sharp. “You as well, Kurt. The heir finally returns.”

“Father requested my presence.” Kurt put his back to one of the corners of the room, leaning back against the bookshelves there. He made himself look casual, but he kept a close eye on Santana, ready to fight back if she decided now was a good time to put one of her plans into effect by attacking him or something.

Santana took a few swaying steps toward Kurt, her hands clasped in front of her. The pose pushed her breasts together and drew the eye down to the apex of her thighs. Kurt wondered if this pose actually worked on men who were attracted to the female form. It probably did. Maybe not her brother, were Kurt a different person, but Santana exuded sexuality the way she breathed – effortlessly.

Before she could say more, King Burt came into the room. “Good. You’re both here.”

Kurt stood up straight, at attention. “Father.”

Santana rolled her eyes at Kurt and sat down in one of the chairs facing Burt’s desk, sitting back in it like she was about to watch a show. “Hi, Daddy.”

Burt frowned at Santana with a side-long look before turning his attention to Kurt. Kurt tried not to shrink under the weight of his father’s gaze, but it was difficult. Kurt had hunted with his father. He knew what Burt’s other form looked like as he chewed into a bison.

Kurt just had to remember that he was also strong. Maybe he wasn’t as strong as his father, but he knew he could stand up to Burt, and probably survive, if need be. As Prince, Kurt was supposed to be strong, but also cunning enough to never let an argument come to blows. Resorting to violence was the last desperate measure of an uncouth, lowly dragon. Not a prince.

Burt leaned against his study desk and crossed his arms over his chest. Without looking at Kurt, he said, “Your negotiations failed, son.”

“They did.” Kurt shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Nodding, Burt asked, “What happened? My messenger said something about a slight?”

“I _might_ have been flirting with Prince Finn.” Kurt winced as Burt looked up at him.

“Might?”

Letting out a sharp breath, his shoulders sagging, Kurt replied, “I did. I danced with him, and King William took offense.”

Frown deep and nostrils flared, Burt cried, “I _told_ you Kurt! Things in Lima are different. You were supposed to be on your best behavior.”

“So my bad behavior excuses King William insulting me in front of his whole court?” Kurt stood up straighter, holding his ground. He was right on this front, at the very least.

Burt stood up straight as well. “William _what_?”

“He insulted me. Called me a _lizard_ in front of everyone. I had to walk out before I ripped his stupid head off.” Kurt crossed his own arms over his chest, snorting with remembered anger. “I’ve never been so humiliated in my life.”

Santana spoke up, a wicked grin on her face. “Not even when I dumped soup on your head in front of all the clan members after you took my cat?”

“She liked me better!” Kurt’s face heated up at the memory of Santana’s retribution almost ten years previously.

Burt pointed at his daughter. “You, quiet. Your brother and I are having a discussion.”

Santana smirked, but she followed orders, sitting back and resting her hands on her crossed knees.

Turning his attention back to Kurt, Burt asked, “Do you know anything about Prince Finn going missing? William insists that Finn ran away, but my messenger says everyone else knows Finn was taken, probably by a dragon.”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

Warning in his voice, Burt said, “Kurt…”

Kurt shook his head. “The last time I saw Finn was the night I left Lima. I wish I knew where he was. I was beginning to grow quite fond of him.”

Burt sighed. “Of course you were.” He turned to Santana. “You’re heading to Lima next week, once word has reached them and they’re expecting you. You’re to finish the negotiations and get this matter settled.”

“But Father!” Kurt rushed to his father’s side, putting a hand on Burt’s arm. “Aren’t you even going to demand an apology? King William insulted me!”

“After you all but seduced his son on the dance floor, as I heard it!” Burt closed his eyes for a moment, his jaw clenching. “Look, I hate that he insulted you, kid. I really do.” Kurt bristled at the way Burt called him a child. Kurt was twenty five years old, thank you very much. “But King William outranks you. His ego, and the food he’ll trade us, is more important than your ego. Got it?”

Knowing he couldn’t argue with Burt once he’d made up his mind, Kurt pouted, but said, “Got it. Can I go now?”

“Dismissed.” Burt nodded, shooing Kurt toward the door. “I’ll be prepping your sister for her shot at this negotiation.”

Embarrassed, but realizing that things could have gone much worse, Kurt nodded and left. He’d lost the opportunity to prove himself to his father, but Burt hadn’t said anything about taking away Kurt’s status as Burt’s heir. Kurt doubted, despite her acumen at court, that Burt would ever trust Santana well enough to give the crown to her.

An apology from King William wasn’t going to happen. If it wasn’t going to happen, how would Kurt keep Finn from heading home? Hope that Finn loved him well enough to stay in Draconia forever? Hope that Finn loved him well enough to abdicate his own throne when the time came? 

No, Finn was going to have to go home. Kurt just had to make sure he never told anyone Kurt had kidnapped him. That was an offense that Kurt knew would jeopardize his own chances at becoming King. While the power of ruling his country appealed to Kurt, mostly he feared for what would happen if Santana was given that power.

~*~

Puck got as far as the woods and he stayed there, unwilling to travel further for fear of more of those traps he’d fallen into on the way here. Even if he could get past the guards and to his horse, how was he supposed to make sure _she_ made it back home in one piece?

Additionally, even though seeing Finn with someone else was heart breaking, how could Puck leave without Finn? How could he leave Finn here and trust the dragons to keep him safe? No, Puck had to stay. 

Swearing to himself, Puck turned around and headed back toward the manor, losing the daylight as he walked. Every step was agony, though only emotionally. Puck felt better than he had for days after getting some exercise, rather than just being cooped up in one room with nothing to do. 

Inside, the house smelled like dinner, and it made Puck’s stomach rumble. The thought of sitting down at a table with both Finn and Kurt lessened Puck’s appetite. Instead of heading for the dining room, Puck went directly to the kitchen. 

In the kitchen, both Artie and Tina were too busy to take much notice of Puck. He swiped a few things from serving plates until he was sure he had enough to last him through until morning. Puck made his escape just as Artie noticed him, and was out the door before Tina could drop what she was doing and brandish her spoon in Puck’s direction instead.

Puck ate. Puck paced his room for hours, alone. Puck tried to sleep.

When he finally drifted off, Puck dreamed of Finn and Kurt together. It woke him out of a dead sleep, his sheets clammy with sweat and his cock annoyingly aroused.

In the morning, Puck felt half dead, but annoyingly hungry. Unwilling to miss breakfast, he dressed and made his bleary-eyed way down to the dining room. As if luck finally had Puck’s back, only Finn sat there at the table. “Good Morning, Puck,” Finn said, annoyingly chipper.

Puck sat in the chair next to Finn’s and grabbed a roll from the basket. “I miss everyone else?”

“Lady Mercedes left yesterday afternoon to visit her family,” Finn said as he chewed on a pastry. “Kurt left early this morning. His father summoned him to the capitol.”

“So it’s just us?”

Nodding, Finn leaned to one side. It took Puck a moment to realize Finn was rooting around in one of his pockets. He came out with a big, iron key, which he handed to Puck. “Kurt left that for us. We’re allowed access to the horses.”

Puck clutched the key close to his chest, like it might be snatched away without warning. “What? Why?”

His smile sickeningly lovesick, Finn said, “Because Kurt trusts me.”

Puck frowned, mostly at Finn, but a little at the key. “Come back to Lima with me.” Despite the traps in the woods, Puck was willing to risk it when both dragons were off the estate. “Finn.”

Finn shook his head. “You can go if you’d like, but I’m staying here.”

“Why?” Puck shoved Finn’s shoulder gently, but still angrily. “Finn, you need to go home!”

“I know you have things, and people, you want to get back to.” Finn took another bite of his breakfast, but this time he frowned as he chewed it. “If you want to go home to Sam, you should.”

“Finn!” Puck snorted in frustration, restraining himself from bringing an angry fist down onto the table. “I’m not leaving without you!”

Finn turned in his chair, facing Puck. “Why not?”

“Because.” Clenching his jaw, Puck scooted closer to Finn and grabbed Finn’s hand. “Finn, I would give up my whole life to stand at your side. There’s nothing and no one more important to me than you.”

Puck had no idea how else he could express his feelings. Finn just couldn’t seem to understand that Puck _loved_ him, and not as a brother loves his brother, or a friend loves his friend. He kept going on and on about Puck wanting to be with Sam. Maybe Puck should just get it over with and kiss Finn.

He’d made half a movement to do so before realizing what a bad idea it was. Finn loved Kurt, not Puck. If Puck kissed Finn, it would mess up everything between them. Puck would have had one taste of those lips he couldn’t have, and he’d never get another taste. How could he ever live like that?

Puck leaned back. “Finn. You’re my prince, and my best friend. It’s my duty to stay.”

“Oh.” Finn took a moment of staring past Puck’s shoulder. Then he smiled. “Alright! It’ll be good to have your company, especially while Kurt’s away. What should we do today?”

Puck sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

~*~

The morning after Kurt left, Finn woke up in his own bed, rather than in Kurt’s. Though he’d been sleeping in this bed for close to a week, save the night before the last, it felt foreign. Finn missed Kurt intensely, much more than he thought he would. It seemed unfair that they’d had so little time before Kurt was called away.

If anything, Finn wished he would have returned Kurt’s affections differently while they were still in Lima. He fantasized about convincing Kurt to keep their love secret, and about sneaking into each other’s rooms in the middle of the night. Finn thought about what they might have done together, and what little they’d already tried.

Finn was sure Kurt had a lot of knowledge about how the two of them might have sex together, and Finn knew the basics, but he wasn’t quite sure how it worked, exactly. As Finn and Puck rode together around the estate perimeter midmorning, Finn turned to Puck. “May I ask you something?”

Eyes half-lidded and unimpressed, Puck asked, “What?”

“How much experience do you have with men? Has it just been Sam?”

Puck shook his head as he pulled on his reins, leading his horse down the right-hand pathway as they came to a fork in the trail. “There’ve been others, over the years. Why do you ask?”

“So you have a lot of experience?” Finn followed, making sure his horse stayed abreast of Puck’s.

Shrugging, Puck said, “Some.”

“Would you–“ Finn let out a loud breath. “Would you maybe give me some pointers? You know, like advice? So I can be good for Kurt?”

Puck’s jaw dropped for a moment, snapping shut when he turned to look at Finn. “No! I’m not helping you be good for _him_!” Puck urged his horse forward at a faster pace.

“Oh, come on!” Finn tapped his horse with his heels to get him to catch up to Puck’s horse. “Puck! Please? It’s not like we’re still in Lima. We’re in Draconia! No one cares!”

“I’m not doing it.” Puck’s voice was gruff and curt. He was upset!

Why would Puck be upset? Did he really hate Kurt that much? He liked Kurt enough to kiss him that one day. Maybe Puck was still embarrassed about that?

Or maybe Puck was jealous because Finn had a lover here and Puck didn’t? “We should get a message to Sam, don’t you think? Get him to come here, too! Then you won’t be lonely while I spend time with Kurt. Sam might even enjoy the adventure.”

Shaking his head, Puck said, “You’re a fucking idiot.” Then he urged his horse into an even faster pace, racing back toward the pasture and the stable. 

Finn followed at a slower pace, absolutely confused. He had no idea what was going on in Puck’s head, unlike how Puck normally told Finn the majority of his thoughts at any given moment. His uncharacteristic silence here in Draconia concerned Finn. Finn thought maybe he would have noticed it sooner if he hadn’t been so caught up in his infatuation with Kurt.

Feeling like a bad friend, Finn vowed to make things right between him and Puck, no matter what. As much as Finn loved Kurt, Finn knew that Puck held the more important and more long-term place in Finn’s life.

~*~

Kurt knew when he reported to the capitol that he was going to have to take a day to rest his wings and take some meetings with some of his associates. While Kurt would eventually take over running the country as a whole, currently his duties mostly consisted of learning at Burt’s side and keeping his own estate running smoothly.

Before he left the estate, Tina told Kurt that one of their trade partners hadn’t been holding up his end of the bargain. First thing in the morning after he arrived, Kurt requested a meeting with that trade partner, Lord Nicholas. As Kurt expected, since he was Prince after all, his request was quickly granted.

As Kurt made his way through the capitol building toward Nicholas’ offices, a familiar voice called out to Kurt. “Your Highness!”

In the interest of being polite, and thus keeping one of his father’s most influential courtiers happy, Kurt stopped and turned toward the voice. “Lord Sebastian. Hello!”

“Prince Kurt! The man of the hour himself!” Sebastian was a tall dragon, and thin in a way that disguised his strength. He tended to wear clothes which were formal, and in much more classic style than what Kurt preferred. 

Hating the way his cheeks heated up, Kurt said, “I take it everyone has heard about what happened?”

Sebastian chuckled, managing to put more haughtiness into the sound than Kurt had thought possible before making Sebastian’s acquaintance. “Bits and pieces, mostly. One of the stories I heard said that you ate the prince of Lima, boots and all.”

Gesturing for Sebastian to walk with Kurt, which Sebastian assented to with a nod, Kurt said, “You know me, my lord. I would never harm an article of clothing by passing it through my digestive system.”

Laughing again, Sebastian ran a hand down the back of Kurt’s arm. “So I take it Prince Finn is still alive and well?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Kurt shrugged, and wondered why Sebastian’s hand on his person didn’t feel as tempting as it normally did. “I haven’t seen the prince since I dramatically departed from Lima after King William insulted me.”

Sebastian sucked a sympathetic breath in through his teeth. “So that’s what actually happened. He _insulted you_? No wonder King Burt is so testy these days. I, personally, saw him almost stomp on a shepherd who got in his way day before last. A lesser dragon than your father wouldn’t have stopped themselves.”

Kurt winced. “It’s no wonder he was angry enough to give Santana negotiating powers and send her in my stead.”

“ _That’s_ his plan?” Sebastian scoffed. “Santana will probably sleep with the King, get offended when he falls in love with her, and fuck things up even more than they already are. Pardon my language, Your Highness.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, knowing that if they weren’t walking through public hallways, there was no way Sebastian would have censored his language. “Your lips to the Ancestors’ ears.” 

Slowing down as they approached Lord Nicholas’ offices, Kurt turned to say goodbye to Sebastian, only to be faced with Sebastian already speaking. “How long are you in the capitol this time? Long-term, or are you going to flee to the country until most of this blows over?”

Thinking about how he’d left Finn in his bed the previous morning, Kurt replied, “Oh, I’m fleeing to the country, for sure. If the weather holds, I’ll leave in the morning.”

A twinkle in his eye, Sebastian smirked. “Feel free to stop by my rooms later this evening, Your Highness. My bed misses you in it.”

Kurt smiled at the flirtation. While it was true that Kurt enjoyed having fun with Sebastian, every time they were together, Kurt couldn’t help but notice the way Sebastian’s ambition colored everything he said and did. Nothing was free when it came to Sebastian, not even love.

Besides that, Kurt found himself unwilling to be with anyone else while his relationship with Finn was so new. It didn’t help that Sebastian was a stranger to Finn. If Finn knew Sebastian, and knew that he was no threat to the way Kurt felt about Finn, Kurt wouldn’t hesitate to take the pleasure where he could find it. As it was, Kurt had to turn Sebastian down.

“Not tonight, My Lord. Thank you for the kind offer.” 

Sebastian smiled, holding one hand to his chest. “I had to at least try, my prince. Perhaps you’ll visit me when your convalescence is over?”

“Perhaps,” Kurt said with a nod of his head. While he couldn’t foresee wanting to return to Sebastian’s bed at all, it never hurt to protect one’s bridges, rather than burn them. “Until next time, my lord.”

“Prince Kurt.” 

Kurt watched Sebastian walk away, curious at how his heart yearned more than anything, for Finn. Lord’s Scales, Kurt was fairly certain he felt more for Sir Puckerman and the kiss they shared than he did for Lord Sebastian, who was one of the better lovers Kurt had ever had. 

~*~

“Artie?” Finn asked the servant as he cleared the luncheon dishes from the dining room table. Finn had eaten alone, Puck having grabbed his food and taken it back outside, still angry about the conversation they’d had earlier. “Do you know how to spar? You know, fencing?”

“No, Your Highness.” Artie shook his head, setting his stack of used serving dishes on the edge of the table. The servants in Lima Castle never would have set dirty dishes down before they got them back to the kitchen, but Finn noticed that Kurt’s estate was held to particularly casual standards. Finn loved it. “I might have, if it wasn’t for my foot.” Artie nodded down to the leg he tended to favor as he walked around. 

Finn took stock of what he knew about Artie’s range of motion. Sure, the man hobbled a bit, but Finn had never seen him anything but sure of his balance. “Would you like to learn?”

“Your Highness?” Artie’s brows both rose in surprise.

Finn shrugged and rose from the table, gathering his own dishes together and taking them toward the kitchen. Artie picked up the others and followed him hastily. “I find myself bored, I suppose. I’m not much of a reader, I’ve already ridden the perimeter of the estate, and one can only play a drum so many hours of the day. While we wait for Prince Kurt’s return, why don’t I show you what I know?”

In the kitchen, Tina took the plates from Finn right into a sink already full of soapy water. “What are you learning, Artie?”

“How to fence, if Prince Finn has his way,” Artie replied, absentmindedly placing his dishes into the sink and beginning to scrub them. “I have all this work to do.”

“No, come on,” Finn insisted. “Just for half an hour? It’ll be fun.”

Tina grinned at Finn. “Can I come?”

Finn looked Tina up and down, thinking that while she was even smaller than Artie, working in the kitchen had given her serious arm muscles. “Sure! The more the merrier!”

“Fantastic!” Tina whipped her apron off and threw it onto one of the counters. “Are you coming, Artie?”

Artie gave the sink full of dishes one last dubious look before turning back and nodding at Tina, and then Finn. “I’m in!”

Finn took the two servants out to the yard, finding a few longish sticks to serve as practice swords. H showed them the basic grip and stances. Artie had trouble with the basic stance, so Finn showed him a different one, which did seem to work better. Then he set them to fencing each other, acting as referee and tallying the points.

“You’d better watch out, Artie!” Finn called out after they’d been fencing for awhile. “Tina has three points on you. She’s going to win!”

“Ahh!” Artie cried, blocking Tina’s thrust and returning it with an impressive counter move Finn was fairly certain he’d blundered into on dumb luck. His stick whacked Tina’s shoulder and Finn added another point to Artie’s tally. 

As the two of them set up to face off again, Tina froze, her gaze focused past Artie and past Finn, out toward the road coming to the house from the tree line. Finn turned to see a figure walking toward them. Finn didn’t recognize her as any of the inhabitants of the estate, but Tina and Artie sure seemed to recognize her. They’d both gone white, like they were afraid of her.

“Who is that?” Finn asked, taking a few steps forward, like that might help him see. All he really saw was a woman with long dark hair, who was wearing a long white dress.

“The princess,” Tina said, her voice wavering. “Princess Santana.”

“So, I should probably hide?”

Artie shook his head, taking a few steps so he was behind Finn. “She’s already seen you, Your Highness. It’s too late.”

As she approached, a satisfied smirk on her lips, Princess Santana said, “Well, well. What do we have here? Prince Finn of Lima, if I’m not mistaken?”

Finn saw no resemblance between Santana and Kurt, though they were supposedly brother and sister. Well, Finn thought he remembered that Santana had a different mother than Kurt, though he wondered if she had a different father as well. Finn couldn’t quite remember what King Burt looked like, but he seemed to remember his features looking much more like Kurt’s than like Santana’s.

Leaving the question of Santana’s parentage for another time, Finn replied, “Princess Santana. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Still smiling, Santana shook her head. “You really have a lot of nerve, don’t you, Your Highness? Hiding out _here_ after running away from your family and your duties in Lima? How long, do you think, before your father disowns you completely?”

“Probably as long as it takes him to get another heir with his new wife.” Finn shrugged, trying to hide how hard Santana’s words hit him by pretending he felt nothing. While he didn’t agree with his father on many things, including William’s treatment of Kurt, Finn loved his father. He didn’t want to be disowned, as likely as that now seemed.

Santana tilted her head quickly in acknowledgment. “That may be true. Still, your presence here isn’t helpful. Do you know how hard it’s going to be to repair the damage you’ve done by coming here?”

The question made Finn stop short. “No one knows I’m here,” he said to counter her argument. “I doubt I’ve done as much damage as my father did when he insulted Prince Kurt in front of all the courtiers in Lima.”

Laughing politely with a smile that barely touched her eyes, Santana stepped closer to Finn. “You’re so naïve. It’s adorable.” Swaying her hips as she walked in a way that was enticing, but ultimately nothing when it came down to a comparison between Santana’s charms and the way Finn felt about Kurt’s. “Did you know my father is considering making me heir instead of my brother? Prince Finn, your presence here could cost Kurt the _crown_.”

“Really?” Finn’s stomach dropped. Finn had been thinking so much about how to get King William to apologize for the words he’d said in haste, he’d forgotten about what the incident meant for Kurt’s relationship with King Burt. Looking back to Santana, a thought occurred to Finn. “Would that mean the crown goes to you instead?”

“Probably,” Santana admitted, her brows furrowed in concern. She touched a careful hand to Finn’s elbow, drawing him away from Artie and Tina. Keeping her voice low, Santana said, “But I don’t want it. Ruling an entire country? No thank you. I’d rather send my days being a Princess, throwing parties and enjoying the company of others. You know.”

Chuckling, Finn nodded. “Yes, I know. I understand, all too well sometimes.”

“It’s a good thing _I_ was the one to find you here, Your Highness.” Santana gave Finn a concerned smile. “Who knows what might have happened if it was anyone else. Even our father would have been upset to find you here.”

“What can I do?” Finn grasped Santana’s hand, hoping she would understand his plea. “Is there a better place I could hide? Somewhere no one knows about?”

“Father is an amazing tracker,” Santana said. “I’m sure he would be able to find you if you were anywhere on the property.”

Nodding, Finn asked, “And when do you expect the King to make a visit?”

“Hmm.” Santana set one hand on her hip and looked at the nails of her other hand. “It’s hard to say. He does like coming out here for the hunting. He could drop by at any time.”

Finn wanted to be with Kurt, more than just about anything, but he didn’t want to put Kurt’s crown in jeopardy. Bad enough Finn was already on the verge of losing his crown. He didn’t need to drag down Kurt’s heritage as well.

Turning back toward Tina, Santana told her, “I’m on my way to Lima. I need to take a sheep.”

Eyes wide with terror, Tina nodded. “Yes, of course, Your Highness.”

Santana nodded, gave Finn one last look, and headed out into the field. She changed as she walked, her feet lengthening and her shoes disappearing in favor of claws. Her skin glowed gold before breaking out into shining scales as her wings unfurled from nothing and spread impossibly wide. By her first down stroke, the rest of Santana’s body no longer resembled anything human. Instead, she had a muscular body, her neck almost impossibly long and her tail equally long.

Santana’s beauty sparkled brightly in the afternoon sun, and Finn realized that except for when Kurt had taken him from the keep wall, Finn had never seen a dragon this close before. He figured he should ask Kurt if he could see more when they saw each other again, but Finn realized that may never happen now.

If Kurt was to lose his crown because of Finn, Finn couldn't let that happen. He had to leave Kurt's estate as soon as he could, perhaps even in the morning. If he got going before anyone else arose, no one would be able tell Kurt where Finn had gone.

If Finn was going to keep his distance from Kurt, he wanted it to work right away. He couldn't have witnesses noticing Finn's absence and sending out a search party. No, it was better to have a clean break than to draw this out until both of them lost their crowns. Finn had a feeling that Kurt wouldn't agree, so it was better if no one who reported to Kurt knew where Finn was going.

~*~

Puck woke surrounded by hay, the dry straws of which dug into his back and arms. “What the…” It wasn’t until Puck sat up that he realized he’d been hiding out from Finn most of the previous day, and must have fallen asleep in the hay loft, rather than his bed in the house. The light streaming in through the cracks around the hay loft door was bright enough that it was probably late morning. 

Shit, he’d probably missed breakfast. The last time Puck had eaten the day before had been lunch, because he hadn’t wanted to go back into the house and risk Finn wanting to have another conversation with him about how to have sex with his new dragon lover.

Puck had no idea why Finn kept getting stuck on the idea that Puck loved Sam. Puck hardly knew the guy. Puck figured it had something to do with the fact that Finn had a hard time separating sex from love. Luckily, Puck had no such trouble.

He did wonder if Finn’s insistence on Puck being with Sam meant that Finn _did_ know Puck had feelings for him. If Finn didn’t return those feelings, he might do something like ignore the problem and suggest a happy alternative. It was like after Puck first became Finn's friend, just after Puck's dad left, and Finn kept trying to get one of the butlers, Mr. Ryerson, to act fatherly toward him. That hadn't worked out well, and yet Finn hadn’t learned not to make personal decisions for other people.

Groaning as he pulled himself out of the hay, Puck dusted himself off. It wasn’t the worst night of sleep he’d ever had, that was for sure. Maybe he could actually deal with Finn today. Maybe today was the day Puck spelled it out for Finn and told him to knock it off with the Sam shit. Finn didn’t love Puck back. That was fine. Puck had been dealing with the situation for a good portion of his life already. He could keep dealing with it as long as he had to.

The climb down from the hay loft and the walk back into the house were uneventful, and Puck stopped in the kitchen just in case Tina would take pity on him. The cook took one look at Puck, rolled her eyes, pulled a piece of hay out of his hair, and handed him an apple. “Lunch is in an hour. Prince Finn said he’d be back by then.”

“Where did he go?” Puck bit into the apple, knowing full well it would only whet his appetite and make his hunger worse.

Tina shrugged. “Just for a ride, he said. He left early, he didn’t find you?”

Puck shook his head, still chewing as he replied. “Finn was looking for me?”

“He said you weren’t in your rooms. I see you found somewhere else to sleep.” She nodded at the place in his hair from which she’d pulled the hay. “Feel more at home out there?”

“Ha.” Puck gave Tina an unimpressed look, raising one eyebrow. “Hope it wasn’t important.”

Tina looked up for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. I think he just wanted you to ride with him.”

Puck shrugged. He thought about leaving the kitchen and looking for something to do, but despite no longer being trapped in one room, he still felt trapped with nothing to do. He was a guest without a host, and he hated feeling useless as he had for the past two days. Pointing to the vegetables Tina was chopping, Puck asked, “You need any help?”

Tina’s eyebrows jumped up her forehead and she gave Puck a long look. “Are you as useless in the kitchen as you look?”

Frowning, Puck cried, “No! I wasn’t always a knight, you know.”

“So if I let you finish cutting these, you won’t lop off a finger?” Tina grabbed the back of her blade, pointing the handle of the knife toward Puck.

Puck took the knife and set to chopping the vegetables. Tina watched him for a moment before giving a surprised noise and then leaving him to it.

By the time lunch was ready and eaten, Finn hadn’t returned. Puck helped clear and wash the dishes to keep his hands busy, but by then it was midafternoon and Finn still hadn’t shown up.

Confused, Puck went to Finn’s rooms, to see if he’d gone back there after getting back. Maybe he’d been too tired to eat. Puck found the room curiously empty. None of the clothes Finn had been wearing were in the wardrobe or on the floor. None of Finn’s things sat on the bedside table. The only thing out of place in the sterile room was the piece of paper on the bed, with Puck’s name on it. The heavy iron stable key sat on top of the paper, weighing it down into the bed.

Puck wasn’t the best at reading, though he was capable. Finn had made sure of that. Puck picked up the paper and unfolded it. 

_My Dearest Friend Puck,_  
I tried to find you this morning, but I couldn’t. To protect my beloved Prince Kurt from the consequences of my actions, I’ve decided to leave Draconia. I wish I could have waited for you, but my immediate departure was imperative. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, though not right away. I won’t be taking a direct route, in order to delay my return home to my Father, the King. Talk to Prince Kurt when he arrives home. I’ve asked him to help you get home.  
Lovingly yours, Finn

Puck dropped onto the bed, putting his head into his hands. This couldn’t be happening. Finn left without Puck. He left.

If the note wasn’t clearly in Finn’s hand, Puck would wonder if someone hadn’t taken him again. It was in his hand, though. Finn wrote this note and he left this place – which Puck only came to for Finn’s sake – without Puck. 

Was Puck doomed to follow Finn endlessly all over creation and back?

Finn said he wasn’t going straight home. How was Puck supposed to know which direction he took? He could be anywhere!

Puck took a deep breath and told himself to take a moment to think. Finn had only left that morning. He was hours ahead, sure, but maybe Puck could make up the difference within a day or two. He just had to guess correctly which way Finn went.

Puck got up and hurried out of the house, like being able to see the lay of the land would help him, would give him a clue. There were only really two roads out of the valley the estate sat in. There was one pass to the southwest, and that was the path which led back to Lima. If Finn wasn’t going directly home, he wouldn’t have gone that way.

The other path led east, and a little south as well. Puck had studied maps of the area both before he left Lima and after he arrived here and found Kurt’s maps much more detailed than the ones he could find in Lima. The eastern road led to another road, one leg of which led north, and the other which led south, toward Dracon City, the capitol. 

If Finn had studied the same maps, he might have thought he could take that northern road and then take another pass back through the mountains toward the northern territories of Lima. Yes, that made sense. Finn would have gone that way.

Now all Puck had to do was outfit himself for the trek and catch up. 

He hurried through packing the few belongings he had here before confronting Tina where she sat out in the garden with a mug of tea. “I need supplies. Dried food, maybe an old pot. A tinderbox if you have one.”

Tina raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

Puck shoved the scrap of paper at Tina. “Finn _left_. He didn’t just go for a ride, he _left_ the estate for good, into _the woods_ , and you didn’t stop him.”

Tina took the paper, but she didn’t really look at it, and Puck suspected she couldn’t read it. “I didn’t know he was leaving! He just took a few apples, said they’d be a good snack.” She gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. “This must be about Princess Santana’s visit yesterday. She must have scared him away!”

“Princess Santana was _here_?” Puck balled his fists, resisting the urge to blame the messenger for bad news. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Tina threw her hands up in the air. “I’m sorry, Sir! I figured Prince Finn would have told you. I’m not really supposed to _talk_ to the guests, except to take requests.”

Sighing, Puck took the note back. “No, I get it. It’s fine.” He folded up the note and put it in his pocket. “Look, either Finn took things without you realizing, or he’s unprepared to last longer than a day or two out in the woods by himself. I _need_ to get out there after him!” Finn had the same survival training as Puck, and much of the same experience, but he’d never had to go hungry for any length of time. Puck wasn’t sure how Finn would handle the toll hunger could take on a person, to be honest. Finn should have known better than to go out into the woods without enough food to last at least a few days. Puck was going to punch Finn so hard the next time they saw one another.

Nodding, Tina hurried back into the house. “I’ll pack you a bag. Talk to David. Get him to saddle up your horse.”

Puck wasn’t quite sure which one of the other servants was David, but he figured it wouldn’t be hard to figure out. All else failed, Puck could saddle his horse himself. He hadn’t spent five years as a squire for nothing, after all.

Before he left the house again, a thought struck Puck. Finn said he’d asked Kurt to help Puck get home. When would Finn have asked? Finn wouldn’t have seen Kurt since early the day before last. Perhaps Puck’s note wasn’t the only note Finn left.

Frowning at the thought, because it meant Puck’s note wasn’t a special missive meant for Finn’s best friend, it was one of at least two notes. Puck got the same courtesy as Kurt, even though he’d known Finn a hundred times as long. It wasn’t fair.

What if Kurt’s note gave better clues to where Finn was headed? Puck had to see that note. 

While he’d never been in Kurt’s rooms, Puck knew which ones they were. His rooms were the only ones on the second floor of the manor house that had large double doors, rather than a single door. They were also the ones right next to the room Finn had been given. 

Puck ran up the stairs and burst into the room, finding Artie there, a dust rag in his hand. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

“Fuck supposed to be.” Puck looked around the room, finally finding what he was looking for tucked half under one of the pillows on the bed. Puck rushed forward, grabbing it. Before he could open it and read it, Artie snatched it from him.

“That’s Prince Kurt’s! You can’t read that!” Artie shuffled a few steps away, holding the note close to his chest with one hand, and holding out his dust rag with the other like it was a weapon.

Puck admired Artie’s courage, seeing as Puck was nearly twice as big as Artie and probably twice as strong as well. Still, if Puck picked the wrong direction because he wasn’t _allowed_ to read Finn’s note to Kurt, and then Finn died out in the woods? Puck would not be happy.

“Give me the note,” Puck said with a growl.

Artie shook his head. “No!”

“Artie, none of the gods will be able to save you if you don’t _give me the note_!”

Puck really didn’t want to have to hit Artie. He was a nice man, and Puck liked him. “Prince Finn’s life is in danger. I can help keep Finn alive, but only if you let me read that note.”

Artie shook his head again.

“Will _you_ at least read it, and tell me if there’s anything in there about where he’s going?”

Looking startled, his face going pale, Artie said, “I can’t.”

“Prince Kurt never has to know,” Puck insisted. “I promise!”

“No, I mean, I can’t read.”

At the door, a deep voice said, “I can.” It was the guard who wouldn’t let Puck see his horse that first day. 

“David?” Artie asked, edging around the room closer to the guard. Oh, so this was the David Tina had spoken of. “I don’t think you should. What if Finn put secrets in there? _Lovers’ secrets_?”

David rolled his eyes. “It’s like Sir Puckerman said, Prince Finn’s life is in danger. That’s more important than anything embarrassing he might have written to Prince Kurt.”

Frowning, Artie hesitated, but ultimately he handed the note to David. David unfolded it and began to read. He winced at a few points, but ultimately shook his head. “Finn doesn’t say where he’s headed, besides _away_.”

“Shit.” Puck sighed. “I’ll have to guess which way he went and pray to the gods I find him in time.”

David refolded the note and gave it back to Artie. “I’ll saddle your horse, Sir. The sooner you get on the road, the better.”

Puck nodded, though reading David’s face, he thought maybe David had been a little quick to make the suggestion. Was he really concerned for Finn, or was he trying to get rid of Puck? Puck had always relied on his instincts about people in the past, and he felt like something here was off. “I’ll want to make sure I have everything I need before I leave, of course. No need in repeating Prince Finn’s mistakes.”

Unsurprisingly, David frowned, but then he nodded. “As you wish, Sir.”

Puck glanced at the note in Artie’s hand, wondering what was really in the note. Did it truly say nothing about Finn’s intended path? Or was David trying to make sure Puck didn’t find Finn. Did David worry that Prince Kurt made a foolish decision, falling in love with Finn? Was David jealous?

Still, David could have been telling the truth about the note, which meant Puck couldn’t justify forcibly taking it from Artie. Maybe he’d have to cause a distraction, and then take it while Artie’s back was turned. It worked for desserts in his mother’s kitchen, it could work here as well.

Puck dithered for most of an hour, caught between wanting to be prepared, wanting to make sure he was going the right way, and not wanting to be locked up again for assaulting Prince Kurt’s staff members. During the whole time, Artie kept the note in his pocket, where Puck couldn’t get to it. Half-formed plans flitted through Puck’s mind, focused on luring Artie somewhere secluded, knocking him senseless, and reading the note before making a hasty retreat.

He was just about to do it, too, before a dark shadow flashed over the estate. Artie rushed to the window, looking out onto the pasture. “Prince Kurt is back!”

Less than enthused, Puck said, “Fantastic.”

Artie ran out to meet Kurt, and Puck sighed before following him. There was no way he could get away without having to talk to Kurt. At least Puck knew that Kurt would keep Finn’s best interests in mind. He could read the note and tell Puck the truth.

“What’s going on?” Kurt asked as Artie approached him at a shuffling run. Kurt’s wings were still stretched out behind him, until he folded them up and they disappeared. Puck didn’t think he’d ever get used to the magic that let a dragon change his shape like that. “What is it?”

Artie handed Kurt the note. Tina, David, and several of the other servants gathered around as well. “Princess Santana came here yesterday, Your Highness. She talked to Finn and then this morning, Finn went out on a ride. We didn’t discover that note until this afternoon.” Artie’s eyes cut over toward Puck, and Kurt’s eyes followed Artie’s.

Frowning, Kurt opened the note and read it over quickly. 

“Does it say where he was headed?” Puck couldn’t help but ask, moving to Kurt’s side, hoping to read the note over his shoulder. 

Kurt grasped the note to his chest and furrowed his brow in Puck’s direction. Shaking his head, Kurt said, “No. Just that he couldn’t ‘ruin my life’ by staying here.”

Puck scoffed. “That’s what he said in my note, too. Kurt–” Kurt narrowed his eyes at Puck, and Puck figured it was his familiarity Kurt objected to. “ _Your Highness_. We don’t think Finn took enough supplies. He’s going to get lost in the woods and _die_!”

Kurt’s lips parted and he looked around at the people standing there, waiting for him to make a decision. Eventually Kurt’s eyes landed on Puck. “Finn left you here.”

“I was hiding from him.” Puck shrugged, looking away. “I guess he didn’t want to waste the time trying to find me. You know what that means, right?”

Kurt shook his head, eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

“That your welfare means more to him than mine does.” Puck let out a breath he’d been holding. “Anyway, I was just about to ride out.”

Kurt brought a hand up to his mouth, gently pulling at his lower lip, his eyes focused on nothing. After a moment, he took a sharp breath and said, “No. We’ll fly. We can cover more ground that way.”

Puck stared at Kurt. He couldn’t be suggesting what he was, could he? “ _We_?”

“Do you want me to look for Finn without you?” Kurt replied, walking past Puck and toward the house. 

Puck followed quickly. “No. Of course not. Finn is my–” Puck cut himself off before he said something more revealing than intended. “Finn is my Prince. I’m his closest friend. I’m going with you.”

“You’re going to have to trust me not to drop you.” Kurt took the stairs up to the second floor two at a time, obviously heading for his rooms. Puck wasn’t sure he was supposed to follow, so he didn’t.

Instead, he thought about whether he could trust Kurt enough to ride on his back as they flew hundreds, maybe thousands, of feet in the air. Puck noticed Artie standing next to him, most of his weight on his good foot, like always. “How old was Kurt when he dropped _you_?”

Artie gulped, eyes at the top of the stairs, where Kurt disappeared into his room. “He was ten, Sir.”

“Has he dropped anyone since?”

Wide-eyed, Artie shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

Puck was about to take that as a good sign, but then a thought occurred to him. Artie looked very nervous, and it could have been apprehension stemming from his own fall, but it might not have been. “Has Prince Kurt carried anyone on his back since then?”

Again, Artie shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

Puck pressed his fingers to his eyes to stem the ache starting there. “Thanks, Artie. I feel so much better now. There’s no way this could possibly go wrong.”

When Kurt came back down the stairs, he was wearing a different outfit. Rather than the fancy clothes he’d probably worn to court, Kurt was now dressed in more functional clothes. His tunic was heavy red cloth with a thick leather collar that protected his neck and shoulders. His hose looked thick and utilitarian and they were tucked into plain brown boots.

Besides his change of dress, Kurt also carried a large item, which looked mostly like a pile of thick leather straps. “Come on,” Kurt said to Puck. “Bring the supplies.”

Mouth dry and heart beating faster than one of Finn’s crazy drum rhythms, Puck followed. He ducked into the kitchens for the bags he and Tina had packed, and by the time Puck left the house, Kurt had already shifted back into his full dragon form.

Puck hesitated in the doorway, watching David help Kurt strap the contraption over his back and around his wings, clasping over Kurt’s chest. Tina at his side, Puck asked her, “I’m supposed to strap myself into that thing, aren’t I?”

“I think so,” she replied, patting Puck’s back as if to encourage him. 

Puck gave her a tense smile and then willed himself into moving forward. Puck had to do this. There was no way he was letting Kurt be responsible for finding Finn. There was no way Puck could stay behind and sit here in a house that wasn’t his while he waited for word.

At Kurt’s side, David took the bags from Puck and tied them onto the harness, near the back, one on either side of the ridge running down Kurt’s back. Puck watched the way Kurt’s scales glittered darkly in the late afternoon sun. There were still a few hours of daylight left, but not many. Puck had to get himself up onto Kurt’s back, didn’t he?

“Step here, Sir,” David said, breaking through Puck’s thoughts. David pointed to a loop of leather that looked a little like a stirrup. “And then climb up onto his neck. There’s straps to hold you on. They go around your waist and over your shoulders. I’ll walk you through it.”

Puck met David’s eyes and asked him, “Have you ever done this?”

David shook his head. “But I’ve seen it done. It’ll be fine.”

Kurt fixed one eye on Puck, raising his brow ridge as if to ask Puck to hurry up. Puck always found it weird that dragons were so smart and so powerful, but they couldn’t talk when in their dragon forms. It must have been annoying. 

“Alright,” Puck told Kurt, approaching Kurt’s side. Warmth radiated from Kurt’s side, which surprised Puck. Kurt looked like he might have been made of obsidian or some other polished stone, but he was a living creature. Blood pumped through his veins, his chest expanded and contracted as he breathed. 

Puck took a breath and then pulled himself up onto the harness, using one foot in the stirrup and his hands around the other, higher-up straps. The ridge along Kurt’s back was hard and a little sharp, so Puck mostly crawled along one side for a few feet until he was closer to Kurt’s neck. Puck straddled Kurt’s neck, his legs rounding down around Kurt’s shoulders where his arms and his wings met. It took a bit of fiddling, especially when Kurt craned his long neck to look back at Puck, which made Puck flustered. Eventually he managed to wrap the straps around himself in an arrangement which seemed reasonable and felt as safe as he was going to get.

“Alright,” Puck said, awkwardly resting his hands higher up on Kurt’s neck. His scales there were smooth, and almost silky, but harder than skin. It felt surprisingly nice.

Kurt snorted at Puck, raising his brow ridges again.

“Right. Finn’s headed for the Eastern pass. I’d bet my life on it.”

Kurt nodded once, saluted with his wing to the servants watching from beside the house, and turned toward the open field. He looked back at Puck once more.

“Okay,” Puck said, holding his breath and holding on as tight as he could. “I’m ready.”

Kurt crouched down, his wings spreading out and up, getting ready for a down stroke. Puck tensed his body, curling his chin in toward his chest. He was glad he did, because when Kurt leapt from the ground at the same time he flapped his wings, the motion jarred Puck fairly violently. Another few quick flaps of Kurt’s wings and they truly left the ground, rising quickly through the air.

Puck allowed himself glances over the side of Kurt’s neck here and there as the ground dropped below them. He expected himself to feel sick, but instead this tentative euphoria spread through him. Soon, they turned in the direction of the Eastern pass and Kurt propelled them forward, rather than mostly up. The wind whipped past Puck’s face, making his ears hurt a little, but he didn’t care. Flying through the air, above the trees and rivers below, was the best feeling Puck had ever felt in his entire life.

Daringly, Puck let go of his hold on Kurt’s neck and threw his arms into the air. He howled out in joy.

The rhythm of Kurt’s wings faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, looking back at Puck as they flew. Kurt shook his head and rumbled, but if Puck wasn’t mistaken, he looked amused as well.

Getting used to the excitement, Puck turned his attention to the task at hand. He looked over Kurt’s shoulder, holding on with one arm wrapped around the back of Kurt’s neck, just in case the straps failed. He watched the ground as they flew by, looking for any sign of Finn, or of his horse. 

The road was fairly easy to see in most places, though it was obscured by trees in some places. Without Puck asking him to, Kurt circled around these places, giving them a few passes before he moved on.

It didn’t take long for the sun to start setting. As they approached an area where the road headed downhill along a river bank, next to a bluff, Kurt slowed down. He back winged a few times and landed in an open space where the road ran next to a shallow area of the river bank. 

“We’re stopping?” Puck asked.

Kurt turned back and nodded at Puck, so Puck unstrapped himself and slid down from Kurt’s back. Once Puck was down, Kurt began to shrink. His wingspan shortened and his height fell, his claws becoming more like hands and feet, his head returning to normal shape. He stopped shifting at what Puck estimated was halfway, his face still draconic and his wings spread wide, his tail short and barely touching the ground. 

Puck watched Kurt fumble with the straps around his chest before slumping in defeat. Taking pity on him, Puck approached carefully, his hands up, palms out. When Kurt caught his gaze, Puck asked, “Okay?”

Kurt nodded, spreading his arms wide to give Puck room. At this size, Kurt was still half as tall again as Puck, so Puck had to reach above his head to really reach the straps. He undid them quickly, holding onto the harness as Kurt finished shifting, his clothes appearing as his scales disappeared. “Thank you.”

“Why did we stop?” Puck asked, crouching down to untie the supply bags from the end of the harness. “There’s still a few dozen minutes of light left.”

Kurt’s brow furrowed and he looked up at the sky. “There is?” He shook his head. “I can barely see. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.” Puck found a skin of water in the pack and held it out to Kurt, who squinted at him for a moment before taking it. “Wow, you really can’t see.”

“Takes a long time,” Kurt said, taking a long gulp of water, “for my night vision to develop. I hate twilight.”

Puck smiled to himself and found another skin of water. He took a few long gulps, thirsty after enduring the wind of flying for the past few hours. “We’ll spend the night and get moving again at dawn?”

“Yes.” Kurt sighed. “Hopefully Finn is smart enough to make camp at night.”

Puck stowed his water away again. “He is. I’m sure of it.”

Silence settled between them for a moment, and Puck took the opportunity to look around and get the lay of the land. The bluff beside them had a pretty large crevice, and looked like it might lead into a cave. Pulling the tinder box out of where he’d strapped it to his belt and rattled it to get Kurt’s attention. “Let’s get a fire going. Once we have a torch, we can get into that cave. Might rain tonight.

“Good plan,” Kurt said, looking up at the sky as it grew darker, both with the waning sunlight and as clouds rolled in.

Puck set up the fire in the shelter of the bluff, pulling the flint stones from the tinder box and arranging the kindling. He looked up at Kurt and said, “You know, this would be easier if you could breathe fire.”

“That’s a myth,” Kurt said absently, his eyes on the darkening sky. Then he seemed to get the joke, because he turned toward Puck and scoffed, one edge of his mouth twitching upward. “Or maybe it isn’t, but I’m not allowed to use it in front of humans.”

Puck chuckled, shook his head, and started the fire.

He realized as they hunkered down together under the outcropping of the cliff, at the entrance of the cave, that his heart was still beating hard. Puck had never in his life experienced anything as exciting as flying. “It’s unfair,” Puck said, staring into the fire.

Clearing his throat before he could speak, Kurt asked, “What’s unfair?”

“That you get to fly whenever you want.” Puck turned to look at Kurt and smiled. “I used to hate the thought of being a dragon.”

Kurt raised one brow at Puck, the edges of his mouth turned down in a frown. “Why would you even think about being a dragon?”

Shrugging, Puck looked down at his hands, worrying a green twig between them and pulling off the bark. “Because I liked boys, too. Where I’m from, in my family, people just don’t behave that way. You just _look_ at your friend wrong and people will accuse you of having dragon in your bloodline.”

“That’s–” Kurt scoffed. “Well, it’s impossible for one thing. If you weren’t hatched, you’re not a dragon. End of story.” 

“You _hatched_?” Puck’s mouth fell open in surprise. “I thought _that_ was a myth, too! Like the fire breathing.”

Kurt grinned, the tip of his tongue peeking out through his teeth. “Nope. Every single dragon came from an egg. My hatching day is next month.”

“No.” Puck shook his head, scooting closer to Kurt and hitting him in the shoulder. “You’re trying to make a fool of me, Your Highness. I won’t have it.”

“I _was hatched_! I swear by my tail, I was hatched.” Kurt laughed, pushing Puck’s shoulder in retaliation. 

Puck grabbed Kurt’s wrist and pulled, making Kurt lose his balance and fall. Puck didn’t anticipate Kurt falling on top of him, but that’s what happened. “Oof!” Puck cried, falling back against the ground. “How can you be so _heavy_?”

“I’m bigger than I look right now,” Kurt said, smirking as he propped himself up on one arm. 

Suddenly the air changed, and Puck remembered what had happened last time he and Kurt were this close together. As if Kurt was having the same thought, Kurt’s eyes dropped to Puck’s lips. 

Still reeling from the ride of a lifetime and suddenly awash with affection for the person who’d shown him what it was like to fly, Puck pushed himself upward. Puck pressed his lips to Kurt’s, bringing one hand around to the side of Kurt’s face. The kiss felt different this time, less angrily passionate. Calmer.

As Puck let himself lean back again, he whispered into the air between him and Kurt, “We shouldn’t. Finn wouldn’t be happy with us.”

Kurt let his breath out in a huff. “I’ve told him I couldn’t be faithful to him, that I wouldn’t.”

Using the hand already on Kurt’s face, Puck caressed Kurt’s cheek with his knuckles. “Finn’s my friend. Even if you haven’t made promises, I’ve made mine.”

“You’ve promised to never take the same lover?” Kurt sounded genuinely confused, and Puck found his expression hard to read in the dim light from the fire. 

The fire crackled as Puck watched it for a moment. “Not in those words, exactly. It’s more of an unwritten rule where I’m from. If you have a friend, you know, a really close friend? Any girl he’s been with is off limits.”

Kurt smirked again and moved his legs so he was straddling Puck. “Good thing for you, I’m not a girl.”

Laughter bubbled out from Puck’s throat, making Kurt’s weight on Puck’s lower belly much more noticeable. “Kurt, I…”

Kurt stole a final kiss and moved his legs away from Puck. “As you wish, Sir Puckerman.” Kurt didn’t go far, though. He curled up next to Puck, heavy head resting on Puck’s shoulder. 

It had been a while since Puck had someone to fall asleep with. It felt nice.

The rocks digging into Puck’s back didn’t feel quite so nice, but he was willing to deal with them, being as exhausted as he was from their search. And to think, first thing in the morning, Puck needed to get back out there first thing in the morning, and then find Finn. 

~*~

Finn realized he’d misjudged the distance between Kurt’s estate and the next town when the sun began to set and he hadn’t made it there yet. His stomach growled and he cursed himself for leaving without packing more of a meal. He also wished he’d taken more time to look for Puck. Finn knew Puck had to be hiding out on the estate somewhere, because he hadn’t taken his horse, but he hadn’t been in any of the places Finn thought to look. He would’ve had some of the servants help him, but Finn didn’t want anyone to know he was leaving until he had a head start.

Kurt had given Finn the key to the stables, and along with it, Finn’s freedom, but Finn wasn’t sure Kurt had failed to give his servants orders to follow Finn. Princess Santana had made it clear that Finn needed to put some distance between himself and Kurt. Finn was certain Kurt would take stupid risks in the name of love.

Finn couldn’t let Kurt ruin his life for _Finn’s_ sake.

It wouldn’t have worked out after all. Finn needed to go home and reclaim his position as King William’s heir. After all, nothing destabilized a country quite like confusion over inheritance of the crown. The civil war in Dalton was proof of that.

Just before darkness truly settled over the road Finn traveled on, he came across a farm. Sighing in relief, Finn rode up to the farm house, greeting the woman who came out of the building with a wave. “Good evening!”

“’Evenin’,” she said, standing to her full, impressive, height and crossing her arms over her chest. “Wanna tell me what you’re doing on my land at this hour of the night?”

Confused, Finn furrowed his brows as he dismounted his horse. “It’s barely nightfall.” Deciding the time of day wasn’t relevant, Finn shook his head. “My good lady, I wonder if you could tell me. How far is the next town with a trading post? I find myself low on supplies.”

Nodding her head toward the road, her short blonde hair barely moving with the gesture, she said, “Two hours, maybe three that way if you’ve got a sorry excuse for a horse like that one.”

Finn sighed. There was no way he could last that long without a meal, much less find anyone to trade with in the middle of the night. “Might you be open to a trade?”

The woman frowned at Finn. “What sort of trade?”

“Lima chits in exchange for a meal and a place to sleep.” Finn took several coins out of one of his pockets. As he always did when he was traveling, he’d distributed his coins about his person, so that if he were set upon by bandits, it would be difficult for them to leave him with nothing. 

The woman laughed. “ _Lima_ chits? What are you doing with that rubbish money this far into Draconia?”

Finn huffed. The only other things he had to trade were his horse, the ring his mother had given him when he turned of age, and the brooch Puck had given him. None of these things were tradable, in Finn’s mind. “Will you take the money or not?”

“Five chits,” she said, holding out her hand for Finn to shake.

Finn scoffed. “ _Five_ chits? For one meal and a place to sleep?”

“Exchange rate, my lord. Do we have a deal or not?”

Finn studied the woman, noting the hard lines of her jaw and nose. She was older, perhaps Finn’s mother’s age, but she looked as strong as anyone Finn had ever known. Perhaps the argument over price wouldn’t be worth it. He took the woman’s hand. “Deal.”

She grinned. “Name’s Sue Sylvester. You?”

After a moment of panic during which Finn wished he’d planned for this, Finn said, “Puckerman. Sir Noah Puckerman, of Lima.”

Sue waved Finn toward the house and they walked together toward it. A young woman came out of the house, gesturing for the reigns in Finn’s hands. Finn thought she might have been Sue’s daughter, except she was tiny in stature, much different from Sue’s substantial, if lean, frame. In any case, the woman took Finn’s horse toward the barn, keeping her eyes averted and her mouth silent during the entire interaction. 

“So, Sir Puckerman,” Sue said as she opened the door of the house and waved him in. “What brings you this far into Draconia?”

“Business.” Finn walked into the house, finding it fancier than he assumed it would be. Every surface appeared to be covered in ribbons and shiny brass trophies. “What are these?”

Sue smiled, and Finn wasn’t quite sure he liked the predatory edge to her smile. “You, my friend, are looking at a five-time national champion.”

“Champion in what?” Finn followed Sue back through the house, and found himself in a dining room full of tiny young women, and one man of less-than-average stature. All of them wore similar outfits in white and red. Finn began to feel uneasy.

The table was already set, and one of the women quickly added another place to the table. Everyone’s eyes followed Sue, like she was their master. Sue gestured to the chair to the right of the head of the table. “Please, take a seat.”

Finn sat, followed by Sue, who sat at the head of the table. Once Sue was seated, the rest of the company took their seats. The woman at Finn’s right smiled at him, but she didn’t say anything.

Sue smiled, pouring Finn some wine before turning the bottle to her own glass. “I am a champion dragonback racer.”

“You _ride_ on dragonback?” Finn asked, taking his glass and sipping the wine. It felt heavenly on his parched throat. 

Another petite woman, this one wearing an apron, set a plate of food down in front of Finn. He barely had the willpower to wait until the others were served before he picked up his fork and began eating.

“No!” Sue laughed. “I _am_ the dragon.” Finn’s fork paused halfway to his mouth. He should have known he’d run into another dragon. “These morons around you take turns being my rider. Have yet to lose one. I think Peters will be the first.”

Sue pointed at the man, who shrank down in his seat. 

Suddenly, the room lurched to the side. Finn dropped his fork, realizing that it wasn’t the room that had tilted, it was him. Finn’s vision shook and swam and he turned toward Sue. “What’s going on?”

“Sorry about that,” she said, taking his plate away and handing it back to the woman with the apron. “Can’t have Prince Finn of Lima come through my land, only to send him on his way again. Don’t worry. You’ll wake up after a nice, long sleep.”

Finn just managed to get an arm under his head before it dropped down, his eyes growing heavier by the second. A curse word formed on his lips, but he couldn’t quite push it out before he was gone.

~*~

"Wake up," Puck's voice said, sometime around midnight. Kurt opened his eyes a crack before shutting them again tightly until he'd turned away from the flames. The rain fell harder than it had before Kurt fell asleep, hitting the ground and splashing back up onto the campfire. Puck grabbed one of the thick, lit branches and held it up over his head. "We should move into the cave."

Bleary-eyed and compliant, Kurt got to his feet. He staggered into the cave ahead of Puck, the light of Puck's torch behind him. He didn't appreciate being woken up after having slept only a few hours on the hard ground. Still, it was better than waking up in a puddle of muddy rain water.

Kurt's night vision had fully developed while he slept, so he could see into the depths of the cave fairly well. It smelled like a limestone cave, and probably didn't have much of value in it, but he still perked up at being underground. Kurt's hands itched to shift into claws and dig into the stone walls of the cave, looking for stones of value. 

Taking another deep breath, Kurt tasted the air. Maybe there were some good chewing stones he could gather. Not that he actually _chewed_ the stone, but sucking on them was important for good health, at least in a dragon.

Except, Kurt didn't catch the scent of chewing stones. Instead, it was an acrid, urine smell. "Something lives in here," Kurt said, fighting the urge to look back at Puck's torch, which would ruin his eyesight. "Foxes, maybe."

Behind Kurt, Puck gasped. Voice tight, he replied, "Not a fox."

A loud wheeze of breath came from behind Kurt, the sound deep and echoing in the cavern. Kurt turned around, his heart beating quickly. While he wasn't fragile in his human form, he _was_ a lot more vulnerable, especially to animals like bears. "Shit."

The bear grumbled, huffing out another breath. It sounded just as annoyed to be woken up in the middle of the night as Kurt had, and it stood between them and the cave exit. Kurt began to shift as he moved closer to Puck, letting his height grow and his teeth elongate. His wings popped out involuntarily, probably because Kurt's terror. He was trapped in a space too small for a full shift with a bear who could kill his human form with a few easy swipes of its giant paws. To make things worse, Puck was there beside Kurt, even more vulnerable. 

The bear roared, the sound so loud and deep that it rattled through Kurt's chest and scared a frightened squeak from his throat. 

Puck, brave and yet stupid, yelled back at the bear, waving his torch in its face. The bear knocked the torch out of Puck's hands, sending it skittering along the cave floor. Puck cried out, holding one hand close to his chest with the other, and looked over at Kurt. Puck's eyes were so wide with fear and probably pain, Kurt could see the whites of them clearly, even in the dark.

Kurt couldn't fully shift, but he wasn't defenseless either. Still without shifting fully, he spread out his wings, grew as tall as he could without feeling like he was about to hit his head on the ceiling or completely ruin his clothes, and roared at the bear. Kurt's roar didn't have the same volume as it would have if he'd been fully shifted, so Kurt followed it up with a swipe to the bear's nose with his sharpened claws.

The bear yelped and turned, retreating a few steps toward the cave entrance before it turned around, like it was making a stand there. Kurt changed his skin, his clothes disappearing under his scales and his head growing even more dragon shaped. Kurt roared again, this time with more fury and volume.

Yelping again, the bear left the cave, driven out into the rain. 

Relieved, Kurt returned to his normal size, though he couldn't quite muster up the calm required to get his wings folded down. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Puck said, his voice hoarse and raspy. "I– You _saved_ me."

Kurt laughed at the incredulity in Puck's voice. "Why are you so surprised? Did you think I wouldn't?"

"I've just…" Puck sighed, sitting down on the cave floor, his back against the wall. "I've never had to be saved before. Usually I'm the toughest guy around."

Kurt crouched in front of Puck, his wings still refusing to cooperate. "Did I hurt your pride, darling?"

Puck scoffed and pushed at one of Kurt's shoulders. Kurt flapped his wings to keep his balance and laughed.

It took a long moment of silence during which Kurt was finally able to put his wings away and sit down properly before Puck spoke again. "No one's ever been _able_ to save me like that. It's always had to be me. My pride _should_ be hurt, but mostly I'm just grateful."

"You're welcome." Kurt said.

"And angry." As if to illustrate the point, Puck crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a fucking dragon, Kurt! You're supposed to be this monster with all these distasteful desires, who eats people alive. You're not supposed to be nice! You're not supposed to protect people!"

Kurt laughed. "I'm sorry I haven't lived up to your expectations."

"Yeah, well." Puck huffed, though a smile played on his lips. "You'd better be."

Standing, Kurt offered Puck his hand. "C'mon. Let's find a good place to sleep. Dawn will be here sooner than we'd like."

Puck took Kurt's hand, letting Kurt lead him into the dark of the cave. It wasn't very deep, and Kurt could see rather well by the light of the torch which still burned on the cave floor. He found a worn corner without any sharp edges or stalagmites and lay down, pulling Puck to join him. 

Kurt wasn't sure what his attraction to Puck meant, or where it was going, given his strong feelings for Finn, but he didn't want to worry about it too much at that moment. Mostly he just wanted to curl up with another person and sleep until morning.

"We'll find him," Puck whispered as Kurt was almost asleep again. "Won't we?"

"Mm-hmm." Kurt pulled Puck closer in against his chest and let one wing loose, using it to cover both of them from the chill creeping into his bones from the cold cave air.

~*~

Finn woke up on what felt like a soft bed. His mouth felt dry and his eyes felt too heavy, or sealed together perhaps. He couldn’t get them open. A woman’s voice said, “He’s finally starting to wake up.”

“Mom?” Finn asked, pushing at his eyes with one hand, as if that would help get his eyelids to open.

“I’m here, sweetie. C’mon.” A hand brushed back against Finn’s hair before settling behind his neck, pulling him up. Something touched Finn’s lips. “Here. Drink some water.”

Finn took a sip of water, and then another, before finally getting his eyes open. There sat his mother, next to him on the bed, a serene smile on her face. She looked older than the last time he’d seen her, which had only been a few months, unless he’d been asleep longer than he thought.

Looking around, Finn saw that the room was richly appointed, the bed a giant four-posted thing with bright white sheets and gold-trimmed curtains. None of it looked familiar. “Am I back in Lima?”

A man’s voice sounded from Finn’s other side. “No, son. You’re not.” It was a man who looked about Finn’s mother’s age. He was mostly bald, the hair he did have grey and cut very short. He looked familiar as well, but Finn couldn’t place him.

It was funny, he had the same color eyes as Kurt.

With a small gasp, Finn pushed himself further up in bed. “Your Majesty!”

“Prince Finn,” said Burt, King of the Dragons. He took a few steps away from the bed to lean against the wall next to a large window. The light coming in from the window was dim, either because it was still early morning, or because Finn had slept through the whole day. Figuring he must have been drugged by Lady Sue, Finn figured either possibility was as good as the other. “As surprised as you are, imagine how surprised I was to have one of my courtiers deliver your unconscious body to me this morning.”

Burt seemed to want an answer, so Finn said, “Probably pretty surprised?”

Chuckling, Burt nodded. He uncrossed his arms and took a few steps back toward the bed. “Now, son. I need you to tell me the truth. How did you come to be in Draconia?”

Finn found that when the leader of a foreign country, a man you’ve heard nothing but impossible stories about for years, asks you to tell the truth, it’s difficult not to. It’s even more difficult with one’s mother giving one encouraging looks. Still, couldn’t betray Kurt like that. Kurt made an honest mistake taking Finn away from Lima. He didn’t need to get in trouble for it.

“I ran away from home, Your Majesty.” Finn tried not to fidget, but found himself tapping on his knee with one finger and thumb regardless.

Nodding, Burt came all the way up to the far side of the bed. “Did you really? My people said there was a lot of speculation about a dragon scale that was found after you went missing. You’re sure a dragon wasn’t involved in your disappearance?”

Finn shook his head. “I don’t know how that scale got there, Your Majesty.” He took a deep breath, accidentally gulping some of it down into his stomach. Resisting the urge to burp it back out in front of a King, Finn said, “I snuck out of Lima on my own.”

His eyes unnervingly steady on Finn’s face, Burt asked, “Well, why would you come to Draconia of all places? You know how tense things can get during negotiations.”

Finn’s head dropped under the weight of what felt like an accusation. “I was upset by what happened between my father and your son. The altercation made it clear that I did not have a freedom I wished to have.”

“Many of us wish we had more freedoms, Finn,” Burt said, his eyes cutting across the bed to where Finn’s mother, Carole, sat, her hand on Finn’s lower leg. For the first time, Finn wondered what in the name of all creation she was doing here. The last he’d received word from her, three weeks ago, Carole’s letter said she still lived out west. Burt kept speaking. “That doesn’t mean we up and run away from our responsibilities.”

“I _know_ that now,” Finn said, unsure of how he was going to get anyone to believe his lie. “Things are different in Lima than they are here. My patience with my father was exhausted, and I couldn’t stand living there anymore. I wanted to be free to love who I wanted to love, not who my father thought I should be with.”

“Sweetie,’ Carole said, her voice full of concern. “Is this about Prince Kurt?”

Finn winced. “You heard about that?”

“Son, everyone heard about that,” Burt replied with a chuckle. “It’s probably my fault for sending Kurt to the negotiations in my stead. I should have gone with him.”

Carole blushed and looked away from Finn, and suddenly he understood why she was here.

“You?” Finn asked his mother. “And him?”

Shrugging, Carole looked over at Burt and smiled. “I came over for a social call a month ago, and things really developed from there.”

“So if I told you I ran away from Lima so I could be with the one I loved, you’d understand?”

“Of course, Finn,” Carole replied, pulling Finn into a hug. “Of course I understand.”

Relieved beyond measure, Finn hugged his mother in return and when he opened his eyes, he saw two figures standing in the doorway – Kurt, and Puck. 

~*~

As soon as the sun came up, Kurt woke Puck and dragged him out of the cave. “We’re finding Finn today,” Kurt said, pulling his harness half on before he began to shift. 

Puck nodded and went through the motions of getting their bags attached to the harness, followed by himself. He seemed tired, but still eager to get into the air. Kurt had to admit that Puck’s enthusiasm was infectious, making Kurt feel more excited about flying than he had since he first learned how.

Without too much trouble, or many words from Puck, they got up into the air. Kurt followed the road, his eyes searching the ground below them for any sign of Finn. 

It felt strange, having a passenger on his back, but Kurt realized he kind of liked it. Sharing this ability of his with Puck was fun, and the little whoops of surprise of excitement Puck gave out made Kurt smile. He was still terrified of dropping Puck, like he'd dropped Artie all those years ago, but Kurt put those thoughts out of his mind as best he could. 

Half an hour into their search, Kurt saw they were approaching Lady Susan Sylvester's land. She rented her farmland out to others more interested in caring for the land than her, so her main property consisted if her house, and the start/finish line she used to practice for her races.

Kurt almost flew by the house, but then he saw a horse tied up behind the barn. As Kurt circled lower to get a better look at the beast, it looked up at him, but didn't startle. It was used to dragons, at least, but Kurt had this niggling thought that maybe the horse looked familiar. 

Taking long, lazy circles downward so his appearance wouldn't startle Sue or any of her people, Kurt headed for the ground. Shouting from behind Kurt, Puck asked, "What are we doing?"

Kurt didn't respond, not that he was able to in this form. Instead, he landed in the field beside Sue's house. It was smaller than Kurt's manor, but still big enough to house the bevy of people who poured out of the house to greet him.

"Prince Kurt!" One of Sue's riders – she replaced them often enough that Kurt could never remember their names – called to him, bowing deeply. "We're honored, Your Highness."

Puck slid down from Kurt's back gracefully, already starting to unbuckle the harness as Kurt shifted back to his human form. "Thank you," Kurt said with a smile, letting his hand linger on Puck's arm for a moment. Turning to Sue's rider, Kurt asked, "Is your master here?"

The woman shook her head, her dark, tied-off hair bobbing behind her head. "No, Your Highness. Lady Sue went to visit your father."

Kurt nodded. "Did she give a reason for her visit?"

The woman looked over at her peers, one of which shook her head, as if telling the first to keep her mouth shut.

Huffing in annoyance, Kurt left the harness and bags with Puck and jogged around the back of the barn to where he'd seen the horse. It was still there, tied up away from a source of water. Approaching the horse, Kurt realized that this was definitely one of his, and it was the one that had gone missing when Finn left. Kurt glared back at the first woman, who had followed him.

"Where did you find her?" Kurt demanded, patting the horse's nose to keep her calm. "And why doesn't she have any water? Don't you know anything about horses?"

The woman dropped her eyes, her cheeks going bright pink. "No, Your Highness. I didn't know. We don't have horses."

"And yet you have a barn." Kurt sneered, exchanging a worried glance with Puck. "Now tell me what happened to this horse's rider. His fate is very important to me."

The first woman kept her head down, shaking it slightly. Her legs wobbled like she was terrified, and Kurt figured Sue probably wasn't the kindest of masters. Before Kurt could ask again, another voice in the crowd piped up. She was a tiny scrap of a thing, barely as tall as Kurt's chest, with straight dark hair and a round face. "Your Highness, Sue took the Prince to the capitol with her."

Kurt let out the breath he'd been holding. He approached the woman and said, "Thank you. What's your name?"

"Sunshine," she said with a smile.

Nodding, Kurt asked, "Sunshine, do you know anything about horses? Do you know how to ride?"

"I ride dragons, Your Highness. It can't be much more difficult than that, can it?" She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Kurt laughed. "Will you do me a favor? Make sure this horse is watered and fed, and then ride her back to my estate?"

"Of course, Your Highness." Sunshine stepped forward, taking the horse's reins and patting her neck.

Turning to Puck, Kurt said, "C'mon. We've got more flying to do today."

Puck nodded and kept up as Kurt walked away from the barn and into the pasture behind it. "You haven't eaten much lately. Did you need…"

The look of distaste in the wrinkle of Puck's nose made Kurt laugh. At the same time, he realized Puck's question came out of concern for Kurt's wellbeing. Kurt would have thought Puck eager to follow Finn, no matter what. Maybe he thought it better to ask now than to let Kurt run out of energy half a mile up in the air.

"I'm fine," Kurt assured Puck, stopping to place a grateful hand on the side of Puck's face. "If I eat now, it'll just be that much more weight to move through the air."

Puck nodded, holding out the harness for Kurt to slip his arms into. "It's just, you've been flying a lot in the past few days."

Kurt got his arms into the harness and turned to face Puck. "I'm fine, Puck. I promise. Can you trust me on this?"

Letting out a long breath, Puck nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Kurt nodded in return and then began to shift. Using efficient motions that seemed much more practiced than they had been, Puck got the harness settled and pulled himself up onto Kurt's back easily. Kurt felt like he and Puck had come to an understanding between them. Kurt didn't know what that understanding might turn into when they found Finn and no longer had a common goal, but he put that thought out of his mind and took off.

~*~

It took most of the day, but eventually the capitol and the palace came into view on the horizon. Kurt wasted no time getting to the palace, and he was breathing hard by the time he landed, Puck slipping from his side and helping him get out of the harness.

A servant met Kurt at the door, taking the harness and bags. "Where are they?" Kurt asked the servant.

"The West guest rooms," he said, pointing as if Kurt hadn't grown up in this palace and knew exactly which room he was talking about. Kurt took Puck's hand and led him into the castle at a fast pace.

"What is your father going to do to him?" Puck asked as they mounted the staircase up to the bedchambers. 

Kurt's lungs were starting to fail him after a whole day of flying, but he managed to answer. "Nothing, I think. The King knows better than to harm a prince of Lima."

Kurt hoped he was right.

Pausing outside the door, because he had no idea what to expect, Kurt met Puck's eyes. Puck smiled and squeezed Kurt's hand before dropping it and nodding toward the door. Kurt opened it.

Sitting on the bed with a woman next to him, Finn said, “So if I told you I ran away from Lima so I could be with the one I loved, you’d understand?”

The woman, who had her back to Kurt, leaned toward Finn, embracing him. “Of course, Finn. Of course I understand.” Kurt recognized the voice. It was Carole, former Queen of Lima, and Finn's mother.

Kurt looked further around the room and saw Burt coming toward him and Puck. He didn't look angry, which Kurt took as a good sign. Eyes turning back toward Finn, Kurt saw that Finn had noticed his appearance. "You're okay."

Realizing he was still holding Puck's hand, Kurt let go, taking a few steps into the room without him. Puck didn't let himself be left behind, instead rushing forward to Finn's bedside. "Your Majesty," he nodded to Carole, before collapsing onto the bed and closing Finn in a tight hug. "You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"

Finn gave a choked sound before responding. "I know."

"We've been looking all over for you!" Puck added, pulling away from Finn and looking back to Kurt, who hesitated to move more than a few steps into the room. 

Finn had left, intending to never see Kurt again. What was to say, now that he was safe, he'd want to see Kurt? Then again, Kurt had heard Finn tell their parents that he'd run away from home because in Lima, he couldn't love who he wanted to love. Kurt wasn't so self-defeating that he tried to convince himself this was more about not wanting to be betrothed than about wanting to be with Kurt, even though the thought crossed his mind. "Finn?"

"I'm sorry. I thought I was acting in your best interest." Finn looked down at his hands, his shoulders slumped. "I told you not to come after me."

Carole moved away from the bed, so Kurt took her place sitting next to Finn. "Finn, I will always come after you. I can't help it."

"Look," Burt said, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "Obviously, this is a complicated situation, and it's going to take a complicated solution. In the morning, I'll take Finn and his friend back to Lima, and we'll work things out with King William. You should stay here, son, until William is ready to talk to you again."

Gratitude flushed through Kurt's body and he jumped up, going over to Burt and wrapping his arms around him. Kurt knew that things wouldn't necessarily work out in his favor, but getting help from his father meant that Burt wanted to preserve the chances that Kurt would inherit the crown from him, not Santana. If Burt wanted Santana to be Queen, he would have sent Finn back home without offering any help. "Thank you."

Burt grunted in reply. When Kurt let him go, Burt said, "First thing in the morning. Get some rest." Then he folded his hand in Carole's and led her from the room, closing the door behind them. 

Kurt's mouth dropped open in surprise. He turned back toward Finn and asked, "Your mother and my father?"

Finn shrugged. "Looks like. Weird, huh?"

Kurt met Puck's eyes as he walked back to the bed. Finn moved to sit on the edge of the bed, his bare legs peeking out from under the bed clothes. "Yeah. Weird."

~*~

Puck found himself sitting on a strange bed, with Finn between him and Kurt, who sat on Finn's other side. If he was a more gracious man, he might have bowed out and let Finn have some time alone with Kurt. As it stood, Puck didn't want to be alone in a strange place again. Someone would have to drag him away from Finn's side kicking and screaming, at least until they got back to Lima. 

"You're alright?" Puck asked Finn, watching as Kurt took Finn's hand, folding it in with his own.

Finn nodded, smiling at Puck. "Yeah. I mean, I trusted someone I shouldn't have and got drugged, but I think I'm okay now." Finn looked over to Kurt for a moment before turning back to Puck. "You came looking for me together?"

Shrugging, Puck said, "Well, I guess he's not _that_ bad. And flying on dragon back is pretty fun."

Jaw dropping, Finn turned to Kurt. "You let Puck ride you?"

"Only on my back," Kurt replied, one of his eyebrows jumping up and then back down suggestively. Puck couldn't help himself. He laughed.

Finn looked back and forth between the two of them. "I was only away from you for like, two days. What changed?"

Kurt shrugged and Puck sighed before saying, "Turns out we have a lot in common."

Puck met Finn's eyes for a long moment. He knew those eyes better than anyone's, and Puck could tell Finn was waiting for something. Puck felt like he'd been waiting for something most of his life. He didn't care that Kurt was sitting right there, he didn't care that Finn would probably punch him. Puck had to do something before his heart beat right through his ribs.

Without thinking about it more than realizing it had to be done, Puck took Finn's face in his hands and kissed Finn's lips. 

Finn murmured in surprise, pulling back. Heart shattering, Puck let him go. Puck should have known it wasn't going to work. "What?"

"Sorry," Puck replied, looking away. He didn't want to see the disgust in Finn's face. "I'm glad you're okay." 

Puck started to stand up, but a hard grip on his wrist stopped him, pulling him back down onto the bed. "You–" When Puck hazarded a look over at Finn, Finn looked more confused than disgusted. "You?"

"I love you, okay?" Puck kept his eyes on Finn's face this time, watching the confusion on it. "I just needed to say it before you disappeared again."

Finn had the decency to wince with chagrin, looking first down, and then over to Kurt. Eyes meeting Puck's again, Finn said, "I didn't _know_."

"And now that you do know?" Puck asked, knowing he wouldn't like the answer. It didn't matter. Puck needed to know the answer, as painful as it might be.

"I–" Finn looked over at Kurt, who smiled sadly, shrugging. Regret cracking his voice, Finn said, "Puck…"

Before Puck could respond, Kurt cleared his throat. "I know you two are Lima men, but we're in Draconia at the moment. Here in Draconia we have a solution for these sorts of problems." Kurt raised one of his eyebrows suggestively and reached across Finn, putting his hand on Puck's thigh.

"Oh," Puck said, picturing sharing Finn with Kurt. Puck had never been very possessive of his lovers, except for Finn. Still, he'd gotten used to sharing Finn's attention with everyone else. Kurt wasn't just anyone else, either. Given the right circumstances, Puck figured his feelings for Kurt would probably morph from admiration and attraction to something deeper. The thought of being able to touch both of them made Puck's blood race. Plus, he figured that it would be about a thousand times better than not being with Finn at all. Shrugging, Puck said, "It's up to Finn."

Between them, Finn still looked confused. "What's up to me?" 

Kurt kissed Finn, deeply but quickly, before turning to Puck and drawing him across Finn's lap into a kiss as well. Puck went willingly, satisfied when Finn gasped, his hand warm and heavy as it landed on Puck's back.

"That's…" Finn hummed, his hand finding the edge of Puck's tunic and working up underneath it to touch Puck's skin. Puck shivered and kissed Kurt harder. "Yeah. I– I want that. Oh, gods!"

Kurt smirked at Puck as they parted, mouthing, "You're welcome."

Puck laughed, a short startled sound, and went happily when Finn pulled him into another kiss.

~*~

The next morning, Finn woke up with Kurt on one side of him and Puck on the other side. Much of Puck's behavior during the past few years made a lot more sense, and Finn only wished he hadn't been so blind to it for so long. Satisfied and happy, Finn scooted closer to Puck, burying his nose in the familiar scent of Puck’s skin.

Puck murmured, turning more fully onto his side and tucking his back against Finn’s front. Finn smiled and kissed the back of Puck’s neck.

Behind Finn, Kurt began to stir, stretching out with a yawn and then rolling to line himself against Finn’s back. “Don’t want you to go,” he mumbled against the space between Finn’s shoulders.

“I don’t want to go either,” Finn said, turning away from Puck to look at Kurt. Kurt’s hair is sleep-mussed and he looks younger than usual when he’s sleepy. A surge of affection bubbles up in Finn’s chest and he has to pull Kurt into a kiss. “Maybe Burt will make my father see that he can’t keep us apart forever.”

“Or maybe Father will promise never to let me visit Lima again.” Kurt sighed. “They both have to die eventually, right?”

Finn laughed, but sadly. “Puck and I will probably be pretty old by the time my father passes. You’ll still be young.”

“Somewhat,” Kurt says, his eyes dropping for a moment before he brings them back up. “I’ve no doubt I’ll still love you, even when you’re all old and wrinkled.”

Finn laughed. “I thought dragons didn’t love for that long.”

“I never said that,” Kurt insisted, pushing up onto his elbows and looking down at Finn. “I said we don’t make _commitments_ for that long. It’s completely different.”

“So, if I don’t see you for years and years, will you take another lover?” Finn traced Kurt’s bottom lip with his thumb. Beside them, Puck murmured again and turned to rest his cheek on Finn’s shoulder. 

Kurt kissed Finn’s thumb, shrugging. “I might. I’m sure I won’t enjoy it.”

Against Finn’s shoulder, Puck chuckled. “You hear that, Finn? We ruined a dragon for everyone else.”

“I think we must have,” Finn replied, smirking at Kurt. 

Kurt rolled his eyes before ducking to kiss Puck. Finn watched, his heartbeat stepping up as the sight reminded him of the night before. It had been different, but amazing, and Finn didn’t want to give it up.

A knock at the door ruined any chance of getting to repeat at least some of the night before and Finn groaned, hugging both Puck and Kurt close.

“It’s time to get ready, Your Highnesses,” a voice said from the other side of the door. 

Finn held on tighter, for just a moment, before letting go. Duty called. Addressing Kurt, Finn said, “Promise me we’ll figure out a way to see each other, and soon. I can’t go without your promise.”

Kurt nodded eagerly. “I don’t care what it takes. I’ll disguise myself as a vagabond and get Lady Mercedes to distract the guards so I can get through the gate, if I have to, which believe me will be a hardship. Have you _seen_ what they wear?”

Puck snorted and sat up, shaking his head.

Kurt climbed on top of Finn, knees on either side of Finn’s hips and hands on either side of Finn’s shoulders. He looked down at Finn intensely and said, “I’ll see you again, Finn. After all, I can’t have Sir Puckerman over there convincing you he loves you better than I do.”

Finn laughed as Puck made an offended scoff and leaned back onto the bed, smacking an open hand against Kurt’s rear. Kurt broke out into giggles and fell to the side. Puck dipped down, giving Kurt another long kiss, even though Kurt’s lips were stretched wide in an amused smile.

Yeah, there was no way Finn would give this up for good. He was Prince of Lima and heir to the throne. People in Lima loved him. There was no way they’d accept some other heir if Finn made it apparent that he had Lima’s best interests at heart.

It might mean marrying Lady Quinn, if she’d still have him, at least in name and in the interest of getting an heir. Finn figured such a marriage was a price he’d be willing to pay if he could have this, even for a fraction of the time.

After dressing and saying their private goodbyes, Finn took Puck’s hand and they followed Kurt out to Burt. Burt was already in his dragon form, and stood probably two or three times bigger than Kurt, as impossible as that seemed. Carole already sat on Burt’s back, strapped in and with a heavy fur hat on her head, despite the warm morning. 

At Finn’s confused look, Puck whispered in Finn’s ear. “It gets really cold up there. You’ll be glad for your hat, too.”

“You’re sure he won’t drop us?” Finn looked up at how high he had to climb just to get to where he was meant to be strapped in.

“I’ll make sure you’re safe.” Puck looped his arm around the back of Finn’s waist and squeezed. 

If Finn was grateful of anything, it was that he got to take Puck home with him, their relationship different than it had been before this had all started. Finn couldn’t look at that as a bad thing, not when it made him feel so happy. Sure, King William would probably make life difficult for both of them when he found out, but Finn was done letting his father’s opinion run his life. Until and unless William outright disowned him, Finn had more power than William liked to believe. Finn had no trouble flexing that power, if it meant being able to keep Puck.

Kurt gave them a hug each, accepting the gesture when Finn pressed one last long kiss to Kurt’s lips. “Goodbye, my love,” Finn whispered.

“See you soon,” Kurt countered, squeezing Finn’s hand and backing away with a tense smile on his lips. 

Finn allowed Puck to help him up onto Burt’s back and get them both strapped in. It didn’t feel safe, but Puck and Finn’s mother both assured him it was safe.

When Burt jumped, pushing away from the ground with a lurch and several powerful beats of his wings, Finn had to choke back a sob. He gave Kurt a sad wave and leaned back against Puck’s chest, taking whatever strength Puck would give him.

“We’ll see him again,” Puck said in Finn’s ear, the wind making it difficult to understand the words. Still, Finn understood the tone. He nodded and when Puck put his hand on Finn’s chest, over his heart, Finn covered Puck’s hand with his own.

“We’ll see him again.” Finn said, his words at once a promise and a prayer. No matter what his father thought or said or did, Finn would make sure he and Puck both got to see Kurt again. The End

**Author's Note:**

> You can visit me [on tumblr](http://pterawaters.tumblr.com/).


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